Downtown businesses team up to help those in need

Jeffery said the idea to run a clothing drive came from wanting to support organizations that are helping some of the people most in need, especially during this time of year. Photo: Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm

As the temperature starts to drop, several downtown Nanaimo businesses have teamed up to support those in need.

The Downtown Nanaimo Business Association has started a clothing drive in support of the Island Crisis Care Society. Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS) helps people in crisis find the support and resources they need. 

ICCS runs supportive housing facilities, assisted living programs for supportive recovery and crisis stabilization, and community support programs in the Nanaimo and Oceanside area. ICCS has also started operating the new year-round daytime drop-in hub located in Downtown Nanaimo.

CHLY spoke to Fred Jeffery, owner of the downtown clothing store Lucid and president of the Downtown Nanaimo Business Association about the clothing drive.

Jeffery said the idea to run a clothing drive came from wanting to support organizations that are helping some of the people most in need, especially during this time of year.

“When it comes to clothing donations, I think it's something everybody might have, something extra,” Jeffery said. “Maybe it's nothing to spare a hoodie or a jacket or something that would really make a difference to somebody, particularly somebody living in the rough.”

In exchange for donating clothes, Jeffery said donors will receive a coupon booklet with coupons for several different shops and services in the downtown area.

“The coupon book features about 15 different businesses that are based downtown where you can get a discount,” Jeffery said. “In some cases, you can get a free second scoop when you get a single scoop at Cold Front Gelato, stuff like that”

He also said the coupon books are part of the association's effort to encourage more customers to shop downtown during the Design Commercial project. The project has temporarily blocked off large parts of Commercial Street while businesses remain accessible via sidewalks since September 2024.

“Hopefully folks will come down and bring their donations down here, check out some of the work that's being done,” Jeffery said. “Hopefully [they will] go up and buy a piece of pizza or a donut from some of those businesses that are right on that block.”

Most of the coupons expire on May 30, of this year, when the first and main phase of the project is scheduled to end in May

Jeffery says this is the first time downtown businesses have come together to run a clothing drive like this. 

He says they are looking for anything clothing-related to be donated 

“But obviously this time of year, especially as we know right now, we're getting a little bit frigid temperatures. Probably wool socks, anything that's insulating a winter jacket, anything like that,” Jeffery said. “But there are no limits to what [ICCS will] take. So we are grateful for anything, obviously, season-appropriate would be, would be the best.”

Clothing can be dropped off at Lucky Cloud, Guava Apparel, Lucid, and Artzi Stuff.

The clothing drive runs until March 30 of this year.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.