Soap for Hope YYC is in desperate need of a new space, and Director of Programming Michelle Edgar said the organization is “looking for a Christmas miracle.”
According to Edgar, the organization was informed in September that its current space – located in downtown Airdrie – will no longer be available when the month-to-month lease is up at the end of December.
“We’re in about 1,300 square feet, currently, and as our program has grown, we don’t fit in that anymore,” she said.
The group is seeking an industrial space with plumbing and heating, Edgar said, ideally between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, which would better allow volunteers to work safely. Edgar said the organization hopes a potential space would also have offices, where administrative tasks – such as grant writing – could be carried out.
Most important, Edgar added, is keeping the organization based in Airdrie, where it originated.
“The community has supported us so much, and all of our volunteers are here,” she said. “For the first two years, everybody here was a volunteer.”
According to Edgar, the organization has been offered a space in downtown Calgary, providing an alternative option if Soap for Hope YYC can’t find a permanent home in Airdrie. If the organization was forced to relocate, Edgar said she hopes it would only be temporary, and Soap for Hope would be able to find a long-term space in Airdrie.
“It would be so difficult for all of us,” she said. “So many of our volunteers take buses and walk. It would limit the number of people that we could rely on to help us.”
According to Edgar, approximately 25 volunteers a day participate in the work Soap for Hope YYC does.
The organization currently collects toiletries from 14 hotels in the Calgary and Banff area, along with partially-used toiletries that are donated by community members. Those toiletries are then repurposed and packed into hygiene kits, which are distributed to shelters and outreach programs throughout Airdrie and Calgary.
“For so many places, what we’re doing is so beneficial,” Edgar said. “A lot of programs and shelters don’t have the budget for hygiene items, so it’s one of the last things on the list.”
Edgar remains hopeful the community will rally around Soap for Hope – through corporate sponsorships or a donated space – and ensure the group can continue its work in Airdrie.
For more information, visit the Soap For Hope YYC Facebook page.
