Reflections on 2020, WIN's Programs, and Community Strength
We are grateful to announce that, with the incredible help and encouragement of our community, we have been able to support over 1500 people who identify as women, trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit along their journey between crisis, self-sufficiency and wellness. Our five programs are designed to provide practical and empowering support and to be there with our program participants along each step of their journey. Last year was a year that challenged us all, and we want to take a moment to appreciate how, by coming together, we found the strength to get through it, and ensure that our programs continued to reach the people that needed them in a safe and adapted way. By working together, we found new ways forward. We have been so moved by the community support we have received. Everyone's generosity, dedication, love, patience and kindness has gotten us through.
In March, when everything changed very quickly due to COVID-19, we were determined to find a way to ensure that we could continue delivering our essential programs with new safety protocols in place. By working together and adapting, we were able to continue delivering our New Start program through contactless delivery, and we initially ran our Gift Certificate program through contactless pick-up. Through our Crisis and Referral Program, we were able to provide relevant referrals, food gift certificates and emergency funding. We also supported other local organizations with the provision of goods that they then distributed to people in their programs through our Community Gifts In Kind Program.
In June, when we re-opened, we were able to return our Gift Certificate program to our stores so that our program participants could freely choose what they needed from our shops. In June, we were also able to start our Self Sufficiency Program up again. Through this program, we have been able to support people along their own journey towards financial independence while at the same time adapting to our current reality. We are now working on creating a modified version of our Transformations Program.
Early last year when we decided that we had to temporarily close, we knew that we had to innovate, and hoped it would help us survive. With quick thinking, ingenuity and a very dedicated team, we created the first incarnation of our online shop in just one short week! This has allowed folks to shop for preloved items from home and the revenue has continued to be part of fueling our programs.
Another of our necessary innovations was to move to a donation by appointment system. We have worked hard to make this a safe and enjoyable experience. Donors have been loyal, kind and patient while we adapt and that has been wonderful to see, and we have appreciated all the positive feedback.
In June, we were thrilled to reopen our doors and welcome back customers into our stores. Although our revenue has definitely been impacted by the pandemic, it has been amazing to see people shopping at and promoting local businesses and non-profits, including ours.
With a heavy heart, in December, we said goodbye to our Langford store. Our lease was up for renewal and after much thought, we decided that we needed to press pause and consolidate our focus on our Cook, Pandora and Westside locations as well as our new online shop. It’s not ‘goodbye though’, it’s ‘see you later’. We are determined to return to the Westshore when the time is right, and we are grateful to our Westshore customers who still come to visit us at our other locations. We are still very much connected to the Westshore community through our programs and donations pick-ups.
As we close the chapter on 2020, we are left with a strong feeling of gratitude for our community of staff, volunteers, program participants, shoppers, donors, supporters and partner organizations. By coming together and supporting one another, we are making it through, and we continue to build upon our strength and resilience as an organization and as a community.