A West Kelowna lingerie store has donated thousands of bras to women’s shelters across B.C., Alberta and Mexico since 2006.
Esteem Lingerie has been running its bra donation program for 18 years.
"When women are marginalized and they are in unsafe situations or they are in situations where they need to transition—good underwear, any underwear—it’s just part of that confidence, it’s part of feeling put together,” said store owner Angela O’Brien.
"We have always worked with women to help them develop healthy body image, healthy self esteem, and I can’t think of anybody who needs that boost more than women who are at risk of domestic violence, for women who are on the street who are battling addiction.”
Darlene Lesperance, Telus community ambassador, joined the donation program eight years ago.
No bra is donated without approval from Lesperance, who acts as a processing service to make sure the donated bras are in good condition, that they are sized correctly, sanitized and washed.
O’Brien praised local volunteers from Telus for their help growing the program.
"In the 18 years, there’s probably been hundreds of thousands that have been kept out of the landfills, reused and donated to other charities," she said.
Lesperance says they have processed 888 bras for donation so far this year. "It makes me feel good because I am helping somebody do something else."
O’Brien says consumer products for women are often more expensive than those for men, pointing to bras and female hygiene products as an example. She believes that needs to change.
“A bra is not a luxury, it’s a necessity for women. It affects our health, it affects our wellness. If it’s poorly fitted and it’s a medieval torture device, let’s be honest, it wrecks our day,” O’Brien said.
“If it’s well fitted and is supporting us, it supports our posture, our breathing, it brings us confidence. And I always say to women, the most important person sees your underwear everyday and that’s you, the individual.”
With donations coming through regularly from their customers and others in to the community, Lesperance makes weekly trips to the store to pick up the donations and start the process of getting them to women in need.
Esteem Lingerie is located at 2484 Main Street in West Kelowna and will happily take in your gently used bras for donation.
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