Changing Opportunities for Men in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (Part 3)

Want to work to support practical, everyday change right in Vancouver?

Poverty issues and issues of social change right in our own backyard aren't as flashy or sexy as spending money in the third world. But great Oak trees grow from small acorns, and a small group of committed individuals is hard at work right in our own community to support those who need the most help.

Working Gear was incorporated as a non-profit society in January of 2007 to undertake work similar to that done by Dress for Success. Dress for Success works with women of modest means who are unemployed by providing them with professional clothing in which they can attend job interviews and start a new job. Working Gear does the same type of work with a focus on providing support and help to men in the Vancouver downtown and downtown eastside. We solicit business casual clothing and construction clothing and we redistribute this clothing to men who are making a serious attempt to return to work. We do not charge for this service and we work in tandem with local employment service agencies.

Our group is committed to providing the help and support that is needed by those who are most marginalized in our community. With unemployment rates at a historical low, many of the individuals who are most able to find employment by themselves have done so. We are working with the men who are most in need of secondary supports.

While our non-profit agency has a very low overhead, we must still fundraise as well as solicit clothing donations from within the lower mainland. All donations go directly to program delivery. If you'd like to share a gently used pair of construction boots or dress shirt and tie, we would be delighted to accept your donation and to see that they are used to greatest purpose.

For men of modest means in our community, the need to have clean and tidy business casual clothing can be an insurmountable obstacle to obtaining employment. Likewise, for those who want to be able to walk on to a construction site to look for work, the lack of a pair of steel toed work boots can be the difference between self-sufficiency and poverty.

Please take a few moments and check us out at our website: WorkingGear.ca or drop us an email at WorkingGear@gmail.com.