Free Store

The Free Store was founded out of a need we saw in our community. The program started out of our transition house, and was only accessible to women and their children. In 2014, the Free Store was relocated to downtown Kitimat, and therefore accessible to everyone.

With the ongoing and generous donations from the citizens of Kitimat and Haisla Nation, the Free Store provides all items at no cost to individuals and families. We thank you for your continued and kindhearted support of this valuable service to our communities!

Tamitik Status of Women’s Free Store accepts donations of your new or gently used household items and clothing.

Donating clothes is one of the easiest ways to help other people. You can provide clothing to individuals and families who struggle to purchase items simply by donating that coat or pair of pants that you haven’t worn in years.  We can provide Charitable Tax Receipts for any donations that we accept. Values for donated items are governed by the Canadian Revenue Agency.

While we greatly appreciate your donations, we have very limited storage space, and do have some restrictions for donations that are accepted. TSW is a non-profit organization and does not sell items that are worn-out to textile recyclers. To ensure that your donation is being used as you desire, please follow the below guidelines when considering donating your items to us:

• Items must in be good repair. (ex. no broken or excessively outdated electronics; no clothing with rips, tears or stains; items with pet dander, fur or fluids will not be accepted, etc.)
• All clothing items must be washed prior to donation, please pair socks
  • We cannot redistribute used underwear, but can redistribute gently used bras
• All household items (ex. cooking utensils, plates, bedding, blankets, etc.) must be cleaned prior to donation
• Children’s toys must be clean and functioning and not be missing critical pieces (ex. puzzles and game boards with all required pieces)
• Children’s car and booster seats must not be expired
• Books must not have missing pages (missing book covers are okay)
• Shoes and slippers must be donated in pairs and have soles free from holes
• Maximum of 2 large garbage bags or boxes of donations per day
  • TSW does not have the capacity to store unanticipated large volume donations
• If you would like to run a clothing drive on our behalf, please contact us prior to commencing with the drive so that we can offer you a wish list of items that community members need. At the same time, we can also anticipate when receiving a large drive donation will be best utilized

Here are some tips on effectively donating your things:

• Items that you donate should be clean and in good repair
  • Items that can’t be used, we have to dispose of, store, or attempt to re-purpose. This can create extra leg-work for our staff and volunteers
• Please don’t use donations to clear out your garages or closets of items that are not useful.
• Consider selling items and donating the profits

We welcome donations of:

• Clothing
• Footwear
• Toys
• Dishes
• Cutlery
• Small appliances
• Linens & bedding
• Pots & pans
• Other small household items
• Cash/cheque

We are located on the 3rd floor above the Bank of Montreal in suite 320. Donations can be dropped off at the Free Store on Thursday and Friday from 12:30pm – 3pm. TSW’s main office can also accept donation from 10am – 3pm in suite 350, on the same floor as the Free Store. We are a registered charitable society and can issue tax receipts. For drop-off outside of these hours call 250-632-8787 to make arrangements.

Everyone is welcome!