RRC Polytech student hopes for a full bin of warm clothes for Mama Bear Clan
By: Cassidy Burak
What started out as a week-long Valentine’s clothing drive has extended into a month-long venture for Red River College Polytechnic student Morgan Morrow.
Morrow organized a sock and mitt donation drive at the college’s Exchange District and Notre Dame Campuses for a project in one of her Social Innovation and Community Development program classes.
The donations go to Mama Bear Clan, an organization that patrols North Point Douglas and Main Street. The group hands out food, water, and hygiene items and provides basic first aid to those in need. Morrow has volunteered with the organization for over a year.
“I just want to be able to give back, and I guess I’m able to do that by helping those who need it the most,” Morrow said. “I decided to create this sock and mitt drive because I’ve seen all of the people who are struggling, and I wanted to help.”
The drive was originally supposed to run from February 12 to 15. During that week, a plastic bin quickly filled with warm clothing donations outside the Students’ Association office at NDC, while the bin at EDC remained empty. Morrow decided to extend the drive until March 15 to give students at EDC more time to fill the bin.
Without a social media platform to advertise, Morrow relied on bulletin board posters put up by the RRCSA and a mention in the college’s student e-newsletter to spread awareness.
“If I were to be with an organization, I could also raise funds and then go buy the items myself. But because I’m just a student, I don’t have a platform or an organization to do that. Obviously, as a student, you only have so much you can do,” Morrow said.
At EDC, the bin is tucked inside the Students’ Association office with a poster placed over its lid. According to RRCSA receptionist Chloë Polos, the bin is placed there to prevent donation theft.
“Everybody’s having a hard time sustaining,” said Mama Bear Clan’s programs team lead, Bernadette Folster.
Folster said demand for clothing donations is always high, especially during this year’s particularly wet winter. Inflation and lower donations after Christmas mean they more frequently run out of supplies on patrol walks.
According to the Fraser Institute’s annual report measuring generosity in Canada, the number of taxpayers who donated to charitable causes dropped to 17.7 per cent in 2021—a 20-year low.
Moving forward, Morrow said she will work to increase sock and mitt donations by collaborating more with the RRCSA and by making new posters, since Valentine’s Day has long passed. Morrow said she is disappointed by the lack of donations, but remains hopeful that more people will donate to this cause.
