2024 ESG Report
Joe Fresh is keeping kids warm
January 27, 2022
In 2020, when Colleen Chau moved from her hometown of Winnipeg to the Nunavut community of Igloolik to become a fourth-grade teacher at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School, she understood that many people in the territory experience poverty. Still, it was startling to see how many kids at the school didn’t have proper winter gear.
Some of Colleen’s students did have traditional clothing that kept them warm, but many other kids only had light fall jackets and runners. Some came to school without socks, or wearing the same shirt and pants year-round.
“In January and February, it hits -50 °C pretty regularly, so a lot of kids would have indications of frostbite on their faces and on their hands,” she says. “These are my students; I see them every day and they're coming in with frostbite and hungry. Of course, I want to do something to help.”
So, she came up with a plan. That November, she contacted The Salvation Army Alberta and Northern Territories Division to see if she could get enough winter clothing to outfit her class. When Margaret McLeod, the organization’s divisional commander, got back to her, though, she thought they could do more.
“She said, ‘I think we need to dream a little bigger here,’” Colleen recalls. At first, the duo planned to outfit all the students at Ataguttaaluk, but in early 2021, a Salvation Army donor signed on to help, which meant they could provide winter clothing for students at Sivuniit Middle School and Iglulik High School, too.
That’s where Joe Fresh came in. They donated eight pallets worth of clothing, enough to make sure that every student in Igloolik—about 825 of them—could pick out an outfit, winter coat, boots and a backpack. Then, Baffinland Iron Mines stepped in to transport it all to the tiny island, bit by bit over the course of several months.
Not long after everything finally arrived in Igloolik, Colleen and the Salvation Army set up a winter clothing drive at the Igloolik Community Hall, where they were thrilled to watch the students choose their own special outfits.
“I saw a bunch of girls standing at the sweater section and it was like they were shopping—they were looking at the different jackets, trying them on, making outfits—and I really liked that aspect of the project,” Colleen says. “I just felt like it treated people like people.”
She’s not the only one who feels proud to have helped.
“We are honoured to be a part of this initiative, working with The Salvation Army and Baffinland to support the students, families and teachers in Igloolik,” says Lindsay Cook, former Vice-President Marketing and Communications for Joe Fresh. “This is an incredibly unique opportunity, where we know our involvement can make a meaningful difference in the community.”
