Make the Homeless Smile

The quote below is from the video, Make the Homeless Smile, which has had hundreds of thousands hits on YouTube. The video is at the end of this posting, made by two wonderful young men. Some people may not like this video; they might say, what good does it do to give a homeless person some food, a shirt, or a drink? The next day they will still be homeless or hungry. What good does it do, some might say, to make a homeless person smile? Odd, though, I have not heard people ask, what good does it do to  just walk on by the homeless?
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Bully Food Truck, Showing What Generosity Means

On Saturday we were very pleased to welcome some new friends and supporters to Bissell Centre.
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Dean and Wendy Gossen are the owners of Bully Food Truck Inc. They take pride in promising “quality gourmet comfort food”, and they delivered on this promise for Edmonton’s inner city community. Read More…

All this time, we’ve had a hidden gem!

Bissell Centre’s Thrift Shoppe has always been a valuable resource for us. It’s a place where we can help ensure that our community members, friends and neighbours have a place to purchase good quality products at very affordable prices. It’s where we are able to get donations to help stock our Community Closet, providing household necessities and clothing to severely impoverished individuals and families as we work to help them transition out of poverty. Our Thrift Shoppe is also, apparently, one of Edmonton’s best kept secrets!

When Edmonton Journal columnist Michael Hingston tweeted about his visit to the Thrift Shoppe, the response he got was “SHHH!!! That’s the SECRET BOOKSTORE!”

Hingston wasn’t content keeping it a secret though, writing about our amazing volunteer Margaret Mooney, and how much he enjoyed the store, the stock and the unbeatable prices was his way to share this rare gem with fellow book lovers. He later tweeted “today’s column, about #yeg’s best-kept bookstore secret, is my all-time favorite.”

What wasn’t mentioned in the article was that the Thrift Shoppe is a vital resource and a successful social enterprise for Bissell Centre. With last year’s sales through the store totalling almost $900,000 and the net proceeds supporting our programs that move people out of poverty, it’s a fantastic shopping trip for you, and a great source of support for Bissell Centre.

Reg Canadian Charity · 118810829RR0001