The Kikinahk Friendship Centre in La Ronge has received a large donation of winter jackets.
Allen Wong is a businessman who immigrated from South Korea to Toronto when he was sixteen. He started out creating a small clothing company in 2009, and since then he has founded ALC21, a business consulting company.
“Growing up, I experienced many of the struggles that come with being an immigrant, and those experiences left a lasting impact. As my business grew, I made a promise to give back when I could. Fortunately, we had a few thousand winter jackets in stock. While selling them slowly to generate profit was one option, I felt it would be far more meaningful for these jackets to go directly to people who need them now,” Wong explained. “The chance to donate to northern communities felt like a meaningful way to honour that commitment, especially knowing these jackets could really help them through the harsh winter.”
Winter jackets are mainly being distributed to three Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan. Kikinahk has received a total of 350 jackets for the La Ronge area. A portion was also set aside to help people experiencing homelessness in Toronto.
“We’ve partnered with a lot of the schools and the outlying agencies to ensure that the people residing in the area have a jacket for winter,” said Kikinahk executive director, Danielle DeBruyne.
When MBC News first reached out to Wong, he stated that he wasn’t really looking to make this donation public information, but now he hopes the announcement will spark awareness and interest in Indigenous communities.
“For several years, I’ve been quietly donating clothing to Indigenous communities whenever I could. This larger initiative, however, took several months of planning and coordination, and I’m genuinely excited to see it come to life in a way that can make a real difference.” He stated.
The Friendship Centre is holding a clothing give-away today, doors open at 1:30p.m.