Five people, five pieces of clothing: all together, more than $5,000 raised for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The month-long second-annual Five Easy Pieces fundraiser by the BC Salmon Farmers Association – which sees staff chose five pieces of clothing to wear to work for the month of April – has been deemed a success, with a total of $5,278.30 raised through pledges and sponsorship.
“This is a fun challenge for our staff – even if at times we get really tired of that clothing,” said Mary Ellen Walling, executive director. “It’s such an important cause, and one everybody is always happy to get behind. The generosity is really heartening.”
The Heart and Stroke Foundaiton is a natural fit for BC’s salmon farmers: encouraging healthy lifestyle diet choices – like adding more salmon to your diet – can go a long way to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke for women and men. At the end of the month, the team at the salmon farmers association also hosts a fundraising clothing swap – inviting the community to get involved by donating clothing and by stopping by for a new-to-you shop by donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Clothing donated to the clothing swap that was not swapped, was donated to the New Dawn House, under development by the Campbell River Perinatal Society, which will help women who are pregnant and need safe housing.
This year, the Five Easy Pieces Challenge expanded, with fish farming colleagues on the east coast – the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association taking on the month-long challenge.