Weddingstar aids non-profits with access to inventory
Non-profit organizations in the community will be able to benefit from Weddingstar.
The wedding-decor company based in Dunmore opened up its warehouse Wednesday afternoon, giving more than 50 non-profit organizations, including the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund, access to items the organization can re-purpose.
“This is the first year Weddingstar has offered a program like this, and it’s instrumental for what we’re seeing this year,” said Tammy Vanderloh, a director with the fund, who said the toys the Santa Claus Fund has received are down from this point last year.
Vanderloh says some of the items the fund has been able to access from Weddingstar include purses of different colours for girls, parasols, playing cards and tool chests for boys, among other items for older children.
“It will help fill that need,” she said.
Terence Kowalchuk, Weddingstar’s CFO, said the event came about as the company continues to expand and offer new products, and space in the warehouse needed to be cleared. Kowalchuk said they decided to see if groups could recycle and repurpose the items for their own use.
“Weddingstar is really excited to be able to give back and help some of these great organizations, like the Santa Claus Fund,” he said.
Other organizations which benefitted from the event included the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society, the Medicine Hat Food Bank and several churches in the area. The items available were primarily decor items.
The fund, whose headquarters will once again be located on Dunmore Road next to Tutti-Frutti Yogurt, has partnered with Burns Valkenburg and Associates for a Toy Drive running until Nov. 18.
The intake date for the fund runs Nov. 21-Dec. 2.