Did you know Bissell Centre helps families with children entering school? Bissell Centre receives supplies each year to give to families with children about to enter grade one through our Family Support Services team (find the contact information below).
This is just one of the low or no cost supports available to families facing barriers to affording the growing costs associated with sending children to school. Navigating all these services can be complicated — Bissell Centre’s Family Support Services team can help you uncover the supports that will work best for you and your family.
If you want to meet with our Family Supports team, you can find them at the Bissell Centre Service Hub at 10527, 96 Street. You can contact our Family Supports team directly:
If you’re reaching out to any of the services on this list, please visit their websites for their criteria. For a full list of additional services, call 211.
School and Education Technology
Bissell Centre Family Support Services — supplies are limited. Please reach out directly to learn more about what’s currently available.
Income Support for School Expenses
You could be entitled to receive support from the Government of Alberta to help pay for school expenses. Qualified families can receive annual financial assistance for school expenses:
- $63.00 per year per child aged 4 or 5 or in kindergarten
- $121.00 per year per child aged 6 to 11 or in elementary school
- $208.00 per year per child aged 12 or older or in junior high or high school
Click to learn more about how to qualify and how to apply for this benefit.
School Supplies – Pencils, Paper, Binders, etc.
Many schools offer programs to supply children from qualifying families in need with school supplies for the year. Contacting your school if your first best step to ensuring your children have everything they need for the school year. If this option isn’t available to you, here are some community-based resources that can help.
Can Man Dan — the 14th annual We’re Here For Ya Day will be on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Shadified Salon & Spa (12222 137 Ave NW Edmonton, Alberta). This is an annual event where the Can Man Dan organization provides free backpacks full of school supplies for families who qualify. Registration is required to receive a backpack full of school supplies for the year and closes on August 16, 2026. Click to be taken directly to the registration page, which includes further information about this program.
Reuse Centre
FIND
Free or low-cost clothing for Back to School
KARA Family Resource Centre – The annual Kicks of Kids event is coming up on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Trinity Reformed Church (13427 57 Street, Edmonton). Families can receive footwear for all children going back to school in the fall.
Mill Woods United Church
Saint Vincent de Paul
Building Hope
Amity House
Care Closet
Bissell Thrift Shop
Mustard Seed Thrift
Free Food or Meals for Lunches
Building Hope
C5 Hub Food Pantry
Candora Society
Hope Mission
Freedom Centre Church
Edmonton Food Bank
Food Not Bombs
Wecan Food Baskets
Native Healing Centre
Native Friendship Centre
Pantry N More’
Bethel Church
Tegler Youth Centre – School Lunch Program
Ever wonder what kind of impact your donated goods make on your community? Documentaries like Minimalism: Less is Now and The True Cost highlighted a few problematic practices from some organizations that rely on clothing donations. There can be an immense impact on the environment from discarded clothing and goods.
Bissell Centre takes a more social and environmentally ethical approach to donated goods. Environmental justice and social justice go hand-in-hand – those experiencing houselessness see the most adverse effects as a result of climate change. Just look at our community’s frost bite concerns over the winter and the heat warning over the summer.
Every donation we accept helps us work towards our mission of eliminating poverty in Edmonton. Goods we receive go one of three places: our Family Supports team, our Community Closet, and our two Thrift Shops.
Family Supports
This program sees support workers helping families navigate their way out of poverty. This can include help with childcare and early childhood development, finding permanent housing, and other essentials that help people live with dignity.
Donations to Family Supports provide families with fresh clothing plus home goods to help them settle into their new homes. Home goods can include small appliances, utensils, dishware, and even storage containers.
Community Closet
Nestled in our Community Space, the Community Closet is where individuals experiencing poverty can go for a fresh set of clothes. Many of our community members go weeks or months without changing their clothes. Bacteria can fester in clothing worn for too long, leading to easily preventable fatal infections and diseases.
We supply folks with everything they need to feel more comfortable and confident – pants, shirts, jackets, shoes, and even underwear! In addition, we also offer free laundry services to our community members to ensure that the clothes they have remain clean and comfortable.
Bissell Thrift Shops
We have two locations for our Thrift Shops – Alberta Avenue (8818 118 Ave) in North Central Edmonton and Hermitage (12769 50 St.) in the North East. We also have an online store, an Etsy page, and an active Instagram account showcasing some of the coolest finds donated to Bissell Centre.
But it’s not only about treasure hunting and cool finds. A lot of people in these lower-income neighbourhoods rely on thrift shops for everything from clothes to bedding and even homewares. Plus, 89 cents from every dollar from the Thrift Shops goes back into our life-changing programs. This means you can thrift for a good cause – watch every dollar you give to the thrift store go right back into the community and to the people who need it most.
THANK YOU!
Together, we raised $33,720!! That’s $8,720 over and above our $25,000 goal. We are so grateful!
A special thank you to Lift Interactive for creating the #RestoreBissell micro-site, and Servus Credit Union for their generous $15,000 matching donation. And last, but most certainly not least, our community of supporters and advocates. You tweeted, you blogged, you Instagram’d–and you donated.
Thank you so very much!
Thank you to everyone for continuing to support our #RestoreBissell fire relief fundraiser. We are only $5,500 away from our goal of $25,000 that will help us to re-open the doors to our Thrift Shoppe in late October after it was damaged by fire.Servus Credit Union will match your donation up to $15,000 and your continued support could potentially help us exceed our goal! The fundraiser ends on Friday, August 8th.
Please donate online at restorebissell.org and help spread the word using hashtag #RestoreBissell.
For more information, please contact:
Devin Komarniski Acting Manager of Marketing & Communications: dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
Bissell Centre is proud to announce Servus Credit Union as a matching donor for the #RestoreBissell fire relief fundraiser. They will double your donations until the end of the campaign on August 8th to help reach our goal of $25,000 to re-open our Thrift Shoppe in late October. We are currently at 30% of our goal and we encourage you to please donate at restorebissell.org.
“The Bissell Centre takes it upon themselves to provide an essential service to the community by working with their partners. That’s quite similar to how Servus operates and when we heard they had another setback, I think we all gasped a little in disbelief,” says Dan Bruinooge, Chief People & Corporate Services Officer.
He adds that’s why supporting the Bissell Centre’s fund raising campaign makes so much sense to us. “Servus could have looked for other ways to help them out but we chose this because we want to make sure they get back on their feet quickly and we hope that many others make that choice as well by donating today”.
When organizations like the Bissell Centre are supported, we all benefit.
#RestoreBissell fire relief fundraiser is a two-week online event where we need your help to raise $25,000 to re-open the doors to our original Thrift Shoppe for late October.
The online fundraiser started Monday, July 28th and runs until Friday, August 8th. Please donate at restorebissell.org and spread the word using hashtag #RestoreBissell.
For more information, please contact:
Devin Komarniski Acting Manager of Marketing & Communications dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
When we experienced a fire to our original Thrift Shoppe in September 2013, we were left scrambling to provide important services. When a second fire hit nine months later at our temporary location on June 21, 2014, we were left devastated. #RestoreBissell fire relief fundraiser is a two-week online event where we need your help to raise $25,000 to re-open the doors to our original Thrift Shoppe for late October.
The online fundraiser starts Monday, July 28th and runs until Friday, August 8th. We encourage you to please donate at restorebissell.organd spread the word using hashtag #RestoreBissell.
The re-opening of the store is vital because it provides $60,000 in annual revenue after expenses to support various Bissell Centre programs and services. With an estimated 100,000 articles of clothing lost in the fire, it interrupted the flow of clothing to our inner-city Community Closet, which provides free clothes to low-income families and individuals. When the store closed due to the fire, 5,000-6,000 monthly customers were forced to look elsewhere for affordable clothing and household goods.
For more information, please contact:
Devin Komarniski Acting Manager of Marketing & Communications 780.423.2285, Ext 131 dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
We have seen overwhelming support from people, organizations, and companies throughout the city who have donated clothing to help us rebuild after the devastating Thrift Shoppe fire. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the cause! Your help has provided much needed clothing to those who rely on Bissell Centre for assistance. We are now accepting donations of clothing, linen, bedding, shoes, purses, back packs, small household items, knick-knacks, collectibles, and jewellery.
Bissell drop off locations can be found at:Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe (Big Steel Box): 8818 – 118th ave 10am-5pm Monday – Saturday Bissell Centre Southside Location: 5120 – 122 street 9am-4pm Monday – Saturday
Those wishing to make a financial contribution to the Bissell Centre may do so by visiting our donation page.
If you would like to coordinate a clothing drive in your community or at your work, please click here to download a poster that you can use.
For further information please contact:
Madhu Khera – Manager, Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe 780.471.6644
For Media Inquiries:
Devin Komarniski, Acting Manager Marketing & Communications 780.423.2285, Ext 131 dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
Thank you for all your support as we rebuild from the devastating Thrift Shoppe fire. Your support will help us to continue to provide clothing and care for people living in poverty.
NOTE: all drop-off locations will be closed on Tuesday, July 1st due to the Canada Day holiday and all locations are closed on Sundays.
Bissell drop off locations (Big Steel Box) can be found at:Bissell Centre East Building: 10527 – 96 Street (South Side of Building) 10am-5pm Monday – Saturday Bissell Centre Southside Location: 5120 – 122 street 9am-4pm Monday – Saturday
Those wishing to make a financial contribution to the Bissell Centre may do so by visiting our donation page.
If you would like to coordinate a clothing drive in your community or at your work, please click here to download a poster that you can use.
For further information please contact:
Devin Komarniski, Acting Manager Marketing & Communications 780.423.2285, Ext 131 dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
Five days after a second devastating fire ripped through the Bissell Centre temporary Thrift Shoppe a recovery plan developed by Bissell Centre staff has been swiftly set in motion. Sea-Can storage containers were dropped off at Bissell Centre headquarters Monday and Bissell Thrift Shoppe staff are motivated and eager to accept donations.
Community agencies, businesses, organizations and radio stations have been quick to lend a hand, offering to accept and store donations until suitable storage was organized in anticipation of the permanent store reopening in September.
Those wishing to make a financial contribution to the Bissell Centre may do so by visiting our donations page.
If you would like to coordinate a clothing drive in your community or at your work, please click here to download a poster that you can use.
Bissell drop off locations (Big Steel Box) can be found at:Bissell Centre East Building: 10527 – 96 Street (South Side of Building) 10am-5pm Monday – Saturday Northlands (Rexall Place): 119 Ave & Wayne Gretzky Drive SB 10am-5pm Monday – Saturday
Community drop off locations:95.7 CRUZ FM: 5241 Calgary Tr., Suite 700 Up 99.3 FM: 9894 – 42nd Ave
NOTE: All drop-off locations will be closed on Tuesday, July 1st due to the Canada Day holiday
For further information please contact:
Devin Komarniski, Acting Manager Marketing & Communications 780.423.2285, Ext 131 dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
For the second time in nine months, the Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe has been leveled by fire destroying over 100,000 pieces of clothing and household goods destined for homeless and less fortunate Edmontonians.
Thirteen staff members employed at the temporary Thrift Shoppe have been offered professional crisis counselling to alleviate the stress of yet another fire.
“Today key staff gathered together to strategize and draft an emergency response plan to continue supporting our affected employees and the 5,000-6,000 clients affected by the fire,” said Bissell Centre CEO Mark Holmgren.
An interim storage, a Sea-Can unit has been situated south of the Bissell Centre East Building located at 10527-96 Street. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to accept donations daily 10:00am – 5:00pm beginning Tuesday, June 24th (with the exception of Sunday). We are in urgent need of clothing for all seasons, ages, and gender.
Financial donations to further support the Bissell Centre can be made direct by accessing our donations form.
The Bissell Centre is fortunate to be supported by such a caring Edmonton Community and we wish to thank each and every person and organization for the countless thoughts, calls, emails and positive wishes during this difficult time.
For further information please contact:
Devin Komarniski, Acting Manager of Marketing & Communications 780.423.2285, Ext 131 dkomarniski@bissellcentre.org
