ANTIGONISH, N.S. — March 8 was a cold day – still very much winter, but that didn’t deter the after-schoolers from the Children’s Place Learning Centre in Antigonish from completing their clothing drive project.
Making the hilly walk from the centre’s location on the far end of Highland Drive to the popular Opportunity Shop, downtown on Main Street, the children personally delivered good-sized grocery bags full of quality used clothing.
“There were 50 in all,” Courtney Archibald, from the centre, said, as children took turns bringing the bags into the store, known best around town as the ‘Op-Shop.’
With more bags of clothing than students to carry them from the centre, a vehicle transported the excess bags of clothes to the shop.
Archibald noted the campaign was about a month long and the children collected the clothing through passing out posters, creating awareness in their schools and with support from family and friends.
She noted a letter from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inspired the children to take on a task of making their community a better place.
“They had done another campaign on oil spills, had sent him a letter on it, and he sent a letter back talking about how even they can change the world,” she said. “So they came really into wanting to change the world and do good things. They threw around a bunch of ideas and this is the one they came up with in the end … they just really wanted to help people.”
She noted calls were made to Antigonish organizations Kids’ First and the Naomi Society who informed them the Op-Shop would be a good destination for the clothing drive collection.
“Because they (the organizations) give out vouchers (for free clothing) when families go there in need; so the kids decided this was the best place,” Archibald said.
