ST. PAUL - A group of creative minds have come together with the result spreading positive vibes and raising much-needed funds for a crucial non-profit organization in St. Paul.
Sisters, Breana and Carina Malcolmson, have created Fashion for the Food Book, designing t-shirts and decals with a simple message at a time when there are plenty of worries in the word. The initiative slogan is: "Everything's gonna be alright" and will soon be showing up on t-shirts and vehicle decals throughout the community.
"We grew up here and have seen the great work the food bank does," says Breana, when asked why they chose the food bank to support through the project. "With the pandemic, job layoffs and the current situation, we felt that there would be a need for extra support."
"I have seen the support that (the food bank) gives to people, while working as a teacher, helping students navigate the real world," adds Breana.
The sisters modelled their project off a similar initiative Carina saw take place in Lethbridge.
The sisters knew they wanted to create t-shirts to sell, with 100 per cent of the profits going to the St. Paul Food Bank. They teamed up with local business A Stitch in Time 18 to make the idea a reality. And while the sisters already knew what they wanted to say on the t-shirts, a second local business, Oracle Digital, stepped up to help design the logo and also helped create vehicle decals.
While Carina and Breana were confident the idea would work well in St. Paul as a fundraiser, the positive response received has been unexpected.
"We didn’t expect the response we received," says Breana. "Carina was able to keep it a pretty big secret right up until the end, but I have a bigger mouth and had let a few people preview it and give us feedback."
Since launching their website last week, the initiative has brought in over 60 orders, with some people ordering four shirts in one order.
"It completely blew our minds how fast it took off."
The project has already exceeded any expectations Breana and Carina had, with more than $2,000 being raised for the food bank, so far.
"We are over the $2,000 mark as a donation, and that is 100 per cent of the profits we have made. We would love to hit the $3,500 to $4,000 mark."
May 4 was the first order deadline for the shirts and decals, and a second deadline of May 11 has been set. Online orders are being taken at the Fashion for the Food Bank website, fashion-for-food.myshopify.com
The sisters says they are thankful for the community’s support, from the design, to the creation of the products, the models who agreed to be photographed and pictured on their website wearing the products, and all the supporters.
"We are so thankful for everyone who has shown interest. We are so happy to have worked with such great local community advocates who were so willing to help us get this off the ground. We couldn’t be happier."
To order, visit https://fashion-for-food.myshopify.com/
Food Bank
The St. Paul & District Food Bank has recently moved to a new location within the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre. The new space, on the north side of the building is larger and volunteers are very happy to be in the new space, says Larry Lambert, chair of the food bank.
"It's working very well," he says.
When asked what the food bank is needing at the moment, he says the organization is always happy to accept cash donations so they can purchase whatever items in need at the time. Lambert offers a special thank-you to Breana and Carina, and those involved in the Fashion for the Food Bank initiatve. He commends them for thinking of an innovative way to help the food bank.
Most importantly, Lambert encourages people who may need help from the food bank to reach out. The food bank phone number is (780) 645-4548.
"If people need help, please come."
