Did you know.....that along with providing services to children in need, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Okanagan also provides an important recycling service?

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Renew Crew is a FREE curb-side pick-up service for used clothing and household goods.  The money generated from this service goes directly to supporting children in our Big Brothers, Big Sisters and In-School Mentoring Programs.

While our original goal was to provide funding for our mentoring programs, we have also become a strong player on the environmental scene. 2009 marks our 15th anniversary, and in that time we have diverted tons of reusable or recyclable items from land fills in our area!

All items collected are sold to Value Village (Savers), our community partner. As a charity we are paid by weight at the end of each day.

WHAT DO WE PICK UP?

Clothing and Soft Good Items
Anything made of material, regardless of season. Adult/Children's clothing, shoes/boots, bedding, draperies and sewing remnants. Please place these items in closed bags or boxes.

Household Items
Kitchenware, knick-knacks, small appliances that still work (toasters, coffee makers, microwaves etc), toys/games, books, sporting equipment, garden tools. Please place these items in closed boxes.

Furniture
Due to storage issues, we are no longer able to accept furniture donations.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PICK-UP:

Please place items in bags or boxes at the end of your driveway by 7:00am on your pick-up day. Your items will be collected some time that day. Please wrap breakables with paper and place in a box to prevent breakage. In case of bad weather, please place all items in plastic and/or cover them, if possible.  Be sure to clearly label your items with our initials, BBBS. Items not conforming to the above may not be picked up.

Drop off Locations;

HELP KIDS WHILE YOU HELP THE ENVIRONMENT...in cooperation with the Regional Waste Reduction Office, Big Brothers Big Sisters is now accepting used clothing and household items on the WEEKENDS at the following recycling depots and Value Village locations:

IN KELOWNA:
Glenmore Landfill - Sat & Sun 9am-5pm
Westside Landfill - Sat & Sun 830am-4pm
Kirchner Rd Recycling Depot - Sat & Sun 9am-5pm

WalMart (this is a bin that only accepts bags clothing) 24/7, 7 days a week

Value Village (190 Aurora Cres) - Mon thru Sat 9am-9pm Sun 10am-6pm 

IN VERNON:
Value Village (5608 - 24th Street) - Mon thru Sat 9am-9pm Sun 10am-6pm 

WalMart (this is a bin that only accepts bags clothing) 24/7, 7 days a week

Why Value Village?

Value Village is our community partner. Under their unique business model, the company partners with local non-profit organizations by purchasing and reselling donated items. We collect and deliver donated goods to Value Village, who pays us a bulk rate for the items regardless of whether or not they ever make it to the sales floor. The relationship allows us to focus on collecting goods rather than having to undertake the expense of sorting or even running a store ourselves. Value Village (Savers) has more than 120 charity partners throughout Canada, the US and Australia. More than $100m is paid annually to non-profit partners.

As up to half of all donations are unsuitable for sale, over 220 million lbs of clothing, shoes, toys etc are shipped off to developing nations each year. More items are going to people who need them and staying out of our land fills!