This summer, 758 children across Canada are creating memories that will last a lifetime—laughing around campfires, learning new skills, and building friendships. These moments of joy were made possible thanks to the dedication of our Thrift Store team and the generosity of our guests through the GoodWorks@Work Send a Kid to Camp campaign. 

Together, we raised an astounding $189,670, giving children who might never have had the chance to attend summer camp. 

But the power of this initiative goes far beyond numbers—it comes to life in the laughter, excitement, and gratitude of kids finally getting to just be kids. 

This summer, our employees from across the country visited Salvation Army camps to witness the impact of the campaign. 

“Being able to see firsthand where the money goes and the kids from the various communities that are supported puts it in perspective,” says Sarah Jackman, a store associate at the Streetsville location in Mississauga, Ontario. “The kids really want to be there, and they appreciate what it took to get them there.” 

At Jackson’s Point Camp in Ontario, Sarah met a 10-year-old boy who shared that swimming would be the highlight of his week. In that simple moment, the meaning of the campaign became clear to her. 

“Camp helps with social development. It takes their minds off things at home. Seeing them so appreciative, so respectful, just enjoying life as regular kids—it really warmed my heart.” 

Your sharp and stylish outfit does not need to be purchased new. Salvation Army Thrift Stores across Canada are stocked with high-quality preloved fashions that helps you build a unique, stylish wardrobe while staying on budget and shopping more sustainably.

Running the entire month, our Secondhand September campaign — with the tagline “Thanks, It’s Thrifted!” — is a fresh and inspiring way to raise awareness about thrift shopping – not just as an environmentally conscious choice and a way to give back to your local community, but also as a destination for affordable and accessible fashion.

“The outfits you can find at a Salvation Army Thrift Store are amazing, cost effective and great quality— and you just never know what you’re going to find. It’s so fun to thrift and you can create a really elevated, stylish look,” says May Strutt, The Salvation Army Thrift Store’s National Digital Marketing Manager.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to put together your thrifted look, our Secondhand September campaign features diverse models styled in 100% thrifted outfits inspired by popular Gen Z fashion trends.

JN Burnett Secondary’s Fashion for Compassion club has proven that there’s no age barrier to creating meaningful change. This spring, 17-year-old student, Sarah who is the president of Fashion for Compassion along with the club’s vice president Crystal, collaborated with Interact club members Hailey, Carol, Kaillee and Tracy to launch a school-wide clothing donation drive that united students and staff in support of The Salvation Army Thrift Store.

“It all started with a shared goal,” Sarah explains. Fashion for Compassion found inspiration for the drive after visiting The Salvation Army Thrift Store’s website and reading about community donation events. “We wanted to create an event throughout our school community that combined sustainability with social impact. And to ensure that gently used clothing could be accessed by those who need it most.” The group aligned with the Thrift Store’s own values and goals—especially around extending the lifecycle of secondhand clothing and making a meaningful difference.

Cardboard donation boxes were placed in classrooms across the school, and every week, volunteers visited each room to collect and sort donations. To encourage school participation, Fashion for Compassion created a unique point-based incentive system. Each donated item earned students’ “points”—for example, shirts were worth 5 points, while jackets were worth 25 or more, depending on quality. At the end of the drive, the class with the highest point total won a pizza party, while second and third place enjoyed ice cream sandwiches. The friendly competition encouraged strong involvement from both students and teachers. 

Organizing the clothing drive was truly a team effort, with enthusiastic participation from many students throughout the campaign. Sarah helped design awareness posters, distribute and collect donation boxes from classrooms each week, and sort through clothing items, in addition to planning and coordinating the event. While Crystal provided the donation boxes and supported poster design and sorting, the Interact club played an integral role in advertising on social media as well as the implementation of the fundraiser. Hailey and Carol took on the tasks of collecting donations and carefully sorting each piece. Tracy and Kaillie assisted with distributing boxes at the start of the campaign.

Altogether, the team collected an impressive 40 bags of clothing, including coats, accessories, and even some brand-new items. Volunteers made sure items were free of damage before passing them along. Donations were stored in one central resource room until a truck from The Salvation Army Thrift Store arrived to pick everything up.

“It was a big reminder that making a difference isn’t a big, scary thing—it’s a tangible one. It’s something a group of kids can come together to do. And we’ve seen firsthand how donating something as simple as a coat can really make a difference in someone’s life,” said Sarah.

With young leaders like Sarah and the dedicated student volunteers at JN Burnett Secondary, the future of community service looks bright.

If you are interested in hosting a hosehold goods or clothing donation drive, getting started is easy—just complete our online form. A member of our team will connect with you to provide support, guidance, and helpful resources to make your event a success.

Each year on July 15, communities across the country observe Give Something Away Day—an opportunity to reflect on the importance of generosity and the positive ripple effects of giving. Far more than a symbolic gesture, this day encourages individuals and organizations to support those in need through thoughtful donations and community engagement.

At The Salvation Army Thrift Store, we view this day as a reminder of our shared responsibility to uplift others and spread hope. Donating gently used clothing, household goods, and everyday essentials not only supports our ongoing community programs but also empowers individuals and families facing hardship. On this meaningful day, we encourage you to take a moment to look around, find something you no longer need, and give it new purpose in someone else’s life.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store loves uniting with donors in our shared communities to help care for our neighbours in need. One such partnership we are proud to highlight is the one we have with the Islington United Church located at 25 Burnamthorpe in Etobicoke, Ontario. Every year, the church hosts a rummage sale to raise funds for their causes. Following each sale, excess items not sold have been donated to local charities, including uniting with The Salvation Army Thrift Store.  Over the past six years, however, our partnership has grown and last year alone, they collected 300 bags of donations specifically for our organization, setting a new precedent!

Valerie Greenfield, a church volunteer shared that what she appreciates most about the partnership is the promptness and dependability of our teams when picking up donations. She said, “The staff and truck are lovely and organized.”

Winter for many Canadians can often present challenges as we find ways to cope with frigid temperatures. Fortunately, The Salvation Army Thrift Store has been collaborating with Fairchild Radio in Vancouver, British Columbia, to provide warmth for 30 years to our shared communities through the Winter Warm Wave campaign.

The dragonfly is often seen as a symbol of change, rebirth, hope, and enlightenment, and when they alight in our lives or cross paths with us, these themes truly come to life. This is what happened during a special experience at the Moncton Elmwood Thrift Store, when members of the Horizon Health Network at the Moncton Hospital, located in Moncton, New Brunswick visited the store in search of donated bamboo dragonflies.

Paula Nolan-Jewell, an employee in the Recreation Therapy Department at the hospital, visited our store in advance and spotted the box of dragonflies. She and her team were inspired to return to the store and purchase them in bulk, hoping that their patients could paint the dragonflies as part of an uplifting activity for Recreational Therapy.