P.E.I. charity struggling to find donations of plus-size clothing

A charity on P.E.I. that collects clothing donations doesn't have enough plus-size clothing to meet demand. 

Gifts from the Heart offers clothing, household items, toys and personal items to low-income Islanders and people in need.

They don't have many clothes in sizes 2X to 6X right now, said founder and CEO Betty Begg-Brooks. 

"There's lots of people [who wear] different sizes that come, and it's sad when we don't have enough [of] those sizes to give the people," said Begg-Brooks. 

Clients will 'never be rejected'

The charity recently posted on social media that it's launching a donation drive for plus-size clothing for all genders. 

Begg-Brooks said it's important for all Islanders who are in need to know they can find clothing that fits them. 

"They might have been rejected, I don't know how many times that week. But they'll never be rejected when they come through the door if they have a need," she said. 

"They leave here feeling good because at least they found an outfit." 

A lack of plus-size clothing donations is not just a problem in P.E.I. A Halifax non-profit that donates clothes to women for job interviews sees the same challenge. 

Dress for Success Halifax provides interview clothes and workwear in sizes 00 to 5X to women in need, and CEO Brenda Saunders/Todd says many of her clients wear plus-size clothing. 

"The clients that we serve are struggling in particular because they can't find that size of clothing," Saunders/Todd said. 

Larger sizes hard to find

She said for many women who wear plus-size clothes, it's hard to even find what they are looking for in retail stores.

"If they do happen to find those larger sizes, they're so far out of the price range for them that they're again marginalized," she said. 

Saunders/Todd is also the founder and CEO of The Social Boutique, a Halifax non-profit retail store that sells gently used affordable clothing. All of the profits go back to Dress for Success. 

She said when they need more plus-size clothing, they post on social media and donations usually come in immediately. 

The Social Boutique is set up by size, so shoppers know which clothing will fit them. 

Saunders/Todd said women appreciate that. 

"They'll say, 'We do not want to be rifling through a bunch of small items to try to find our size,'" she said. 

Begg-Brooks said people on P.E.I. can donate clean, gently-used or new plus-size clothes to Gifts from the Heart by dropping them off at their location at 10 Maple Hills Ave. in Charlottetown.