A children’s charity in Steveston has come up with a novel way to attract attention to a fundraiser at its thrift store during Monday’s lunch hour.
SOS Children’s Village, on Moncton Street, has went all out to celebrate Robbie Burns Day on Jan. 25 – a day set aside in Scotland (and around the world) to mark the birth of the country’s famous poet in 1759.
As well as having a stunning window display, packed full of Scottish memorabilia, the store has snagged the services of Kyle Banta, from Banta Music, who has volunteered to play the bagpipes outside the store for an hour from 12:30 p.m.
Thrift store staff will be dressed accordingly for the day and will be accepting donations, in a manner conducive to social distancing rules.
“During this uncertain time, we thought this would be a very positive local event to share with everyone,” said the store’s manager Yasmin Tang.
“We contacted city hall bylaws and we will follow distancing protocols. We are all living in this never experienced pandemic time, doing anything possible to be positive.
“Keeping our organization surviving is so crucial to help continuing our mission to take care of the foster children and youth in B.C.”
Tang said, since the pandemic kicked off last March, she has noticed a significant drop in people coming to the village to shop.
“What we are trying to do is to attract our locals to step out, especially many senior residents, to our Moncton Street shop and enjoy the fresh air,” added Tang.
“We will setup distancing cones and volunteers will monitor the audience. We would like to mention the kind hearted bagpiper, Kyle Banta, from Banta Music for volunteering his service for the event.”
