Community Clothing Cooperative
Mission
The mission of the Community Clothing Co-operative is to provide good used clothing to those in need residing in Elgin/Portland and surrounding areas
Vision
As part of a community that cares about each other, our vision is that no person or family in Elgin/Portland and surrounding areas lacks the clothing they need to secure employment, succeed in school, maintain a healthy and hygenic life and be socially accepted
Who We Are
The Community Clothing Co-operative is a community based organization under the umbrella of the Portland United Church. It is operated by a group of community volunteers including a manager who serves as a liasion with the Portland United Church’s outreach program.
We are located in the Country Roads Community Health Centre (CRCHC), 4159 Cove Rd, Portland, Ontario. We thank CRCHC for making space available for our use.
We have about 20 volunteers who sort donations of clothing from the community, display it and assist people purchasing clothing at $5.00 per bag. Accepting these donations keeps them out of the landfill. Each year the money we take in is donated back to the community. We have donated to the Elgin and Portland Food Banks, the North Leeds Toy Drive, Cases of Caring, Dental Issues and local fire victims.
Our hours of operation are every Wednesday from 1 to 3 o’clock and every Saturday from 10 to 2 o’clock. Our contacts are Joan Kelly 613-272-3134 and Mimi Lavigne 613-277-3595.
History
In 1996 a group of church volunteers from Elgin and Portland United Church were looking for a project to assist those in our community who did not have adequate clothing. The Community Clothing Co-operative was born under the leadership of Paul Simpson. We opened in an old building on Harlem Road. Because there was no heat, we were only open in the summer. We then moved to a building in Elgin with heat and hydro and remained there until it was sold. By that time our volunteer base had grown to include several from other churches and the community.
In 2008 the Portland Hall Board and the Rideau Lakes Township approved our use of the present location. We do not pay rent at our current location and donate all the funds we raise back to the community.