Have you ever been involved in a clothing swap that includes 200-400 participants and benefits charities, the public, and the environment? If not, you must have missed the last Take off Your Clothes event hosted by your local S.W.A.P Team chapter. But don’t fear! With chapters located across North America, you’re sure to have the chance to support social enterprise while also stocking up on wardrobe essentials.
The S.W.A.P Team, which was founded in 2007, is an international social enterprise that organizes giant clothing swaps for charity. Local chapters host Take off Your Clothes events where you can buy new and previously-loved clothing and accessories donated by participants and businesses. Run entirely by volunteers, the S.W.A.P Team’s ever-expanding list of Canadian chapters can be found in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Quebec City, and Halifax.
Take off Your Clothes attendees who donate acceptable items receive coupons that can be exchanged for anything found in the event’s “swapper’s boutique.” All items that remain unsold are donated to local charities, and the revenue is used to support the next event. So there’s no reason to hold on to that sweater from 2006, when the S.W.A.P Team will help it find a new home and give you a chance to update your wardrobe. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
To find out more about the S.W.A.P Team, check out their website http://theswapteam.org/ and follow their updates on Twitter via @swap_team
Ps. If you have a favourite Canadian social enterprise to share with us, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section!