A fashion statement

By John Mohan

In the past two years I've lost nearly 30 pounds. People think it's due to my inter-provincial fundraising cycling trips, but that's only a small part to it. Most of the success has been from daily exercising and cutting a lot of sugar out of my diet. No question I feel and look better and can get into jean sizes I haven't been able to wear for a couple of decades. But, the downsizing also brings a downside as I keep needing to replace my wardrobe that outgrows me as the pounds and inches come flying off.

Since last year's winter clothes don't fit anymore, I've found myself recently wandering through Polo Park in search of shirts and slacks to replenish my closet. It's been an exercise of frustration. One shirt I liked cost nearly $300. Pass. Lots of purple this year. Pass. I like a sweater but they don't have it in my size. I've walked out of the malls tired and empty handed a few times.

But things could be worse.

Most of us take staying dry and warm for granted. We get in a car parked in our attached garage. We briskly run from the parking lot to the office building or spend a few hours in a warm mall. Our evenings are spent in cozy homes with ample food in the cupboards.

Few Winnipeggers are forced to spend a day or night outside, but some are. At least a couple of thousand of our neighbours live a daily existence (if you can call it existing) enduring damp weather with only a few pieces of clothing to protect them while waiting for a social agency to open or praying a shelter has enough beds to accommodate the long line in front of you.

When the weather turned cold and snowed last week it especially hit those living on our streets and added to the demand already placed on social agencies as clothing requests accelerated.

Not only was there heightened panic at the thoughts of winter coming early but we at Siloam Mission found we didn't have a supply to meet the demand of jackets, gloves, toques and boots.

Unlike you and me, homeless people don't have closets to store last year's clothes. They wear what they have until it's stolen or lost (and who hasn't lost a pair of gloves?) or discarded because it's worn out or inappropriate for the weather. While Winnipeggers are incredibly generous to donate unwanted clothing to local agencies, some things are more helpful than others. Siloam's clothing program coordinator Corinne Fehilly speaks for many inner city organizations when she offers that the highest demand is for larger sized men's wear, including: long underwear, flannel long-sleeved shirts, winter jackets with hoods, warm socks, gloves, hats, scarves and winter boots.

Thoughtful clothing donations to your favourite inner city charity aren't just going to make a fashion statement, they'll help keep our less fortunate neighbours warm and dry this winter.

-- John Mohan is the CEO of Siloam Mission.

Last Updated: 14th October 2009, 4:37am

SUN Article
link: http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/columnists/john_mohan/2009/10/14/11394536-sun.html