New Circles: How to Create a Legacy

This episode, What's This Place? goes behind the bricks and mortar of New Circles, a multi dimensional, not-for-profit agency here in Toronto.
New Circles helps alleviate poverty through their free clothing bank GLOW (Gently Loved Outfits To Wear)...and if I am being honest, that's all I thought they did!

But once I went behind the bricks and mortar, I discovered that GLOW is a jumping off program for so much more...
They offer free employment skills training and newcomer settlement support  programs.
They benefit the environment by diverting 300,000 lbs of clothing from landfill every year.

I ask Cindy Blakely, the founder of New Circles, all my usual origin story questions...but the answers were not what I was expecting. 
Find out how one woman created a legacy that benefits tens of thousands of people every single year.

How did it all start?  And how has it survived the Covid Era?
Let's go inside and find out.

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Transcript

How to Create a Legacy

[00:00:00] Miranda Black: ...it's like a, it's like a real, 

[00:00:01] Cindy Blakly: it's like Winners . 

[00:00:02] Miranda Black: Yeah. It's like a store. 

[00:00:03] Miranda Black: I'm standing in a 10,000 square foot warehouse in Northeast Toronto and if I didn't know it, I think I was in a really cozy consignment store. Or a boutique Winners. It's much larger than most downtown bricks and mortar shops and way tidier than any Winners or Value Village. There's not one garment on the floor. nary a rogue hanger sticking up in the air, out of place on the racks. It's as well merchandised as [00:00:30] any hip modern clothing store. Except none of this clothing is for sale. This is the only organization like this in all of Toronto and today we're taking a tour behind the scenes. 

[00:00:42] Miranda Black: Do you remember the first moment you had the idea? Or was it a slow burn? 

[00:00:47] Cindy Blakly: It was a bit of a slow burn, and I can't say it just came to me like that.

[00:00:51] Cindy Blakly: It was in consultation with two other social workers, we were around a kitchen table talking about what we could do,

[00:00:59] Cindy Blakly: And [00:01:00] I have to admit, I never thought that, so many years later, that we'd be standing in this unbelievable place and have all these programs going on.

[00:01:09] Miranda Black: This is Cindy Blakely, the founder of New Circles, a not-for-profit originally created to help connect people who had lots of clothing to people who did not. And you'll see how it's grown over the past two decades from a few ideas over a kitchen table, to a multi-dimensional community that helps close tens of [00:01:30] thousands of people who find themselves on the poverty line. It's so much more. Than just a clothing donation center, which was something I did not know until I went behind the bricks and mortar. But it all started back at Cindy's kitchen table, talking with friends about kids coming to school without snow pants or gloves through no fault of their parents. And as a Canadian who has occasionally made bad judgment calls on just how cold it is outside: clothing saves our lives [00:02:00] in Canada every day from mid-October to june. For us, it's as essential as food and water. 

[00:02:09] Miranda Black: I'm Miranda black, the de-growth diva. And I discovered new circles when I started looking for an alternative to value village when I was helping my clients at, at their wardrobes.

[00:02:19] Miranda Black: Value village is unfortunately. The drop-off choice for many of us. And the reason I say, unfortunately, is that you're drop-offs to the VV, [00:02:30] they're not really donations. The working poor, they often can't afford their prices especially for valuable winter coats and boots. And Value Village is a for-profit company. 

[00:02:43] Miranda Black: Their revenue is over a billion dollars a year. So my drop-offs weren't exactly getting a big bang for their buck donation wise. 

[00:02:52] Miranda Black: Once I discovered New Circles and found out that all the clothing I drop off is free to anyone who [00:03:00] qualifies there was no turning back for me. It is my go-to clothing drop-off and it's my hope that by the end of this podcast, it's yours too, or something like it in your area. And if you know me, you know, I love to know how things work and how they got started. So, one day this fall, I headed up to Bermondsey with a carload of winter gear and appointment to meet the founder and ask her how it all began and how it's kept going all these years. 

[00:03:28] Miranda Black: So who [00:03:30] is Cindy Blakely and what is new circles? you know, when we started our whole mantra was that people felt dignified. Because it isn't easy to take secondhand things. Especially a lot of our families that have come from other countries never have had to do that.

[00:03:48] Cindy Blakly: And so it's a big shock to kind of have to accept that. 

[00:03:51] Miranda Black: Yeah. 

[00:03:51] Cindy Blakly: And so we work really hard at making this feel like you are shopping. They check out just like at Winners, just there's no money exchanged. People [00:04:00] can come four times a year, and shop for their families.

[00:04:03] Fatuma: They can 

Marke 

[00:04:04] Fatuma: take 15 items. 

[00:04:04] Fatuma: Per person. 

[00:04:05] Cindy Blakly: Per person. 

[00:04:06] Miranda Black: Wow. Per person. Per, per in the family? 

[00:04:09] Cindy Blakly: It could be a hundred items, you know, 

[00:04:11] Fatuma: plus one jacket, plus one pair of shoot 

[00:04:13] Miranda Black: This soft-spoken woman is Fatuma Mulungi . She went to George Brown for fashion design and started at New Circles by volunteering. And now she is the floor supervisor. But this is not your average retail floor supervisor gig

[00:04:28] Miranda Black: On any given day [00:04:30] Fatuma will greet clients and show them how the clothing bank works. She gives them information on the job training programs that New Circles runs. She receives donations, talks with donors, gives tours like she's doing right now. But most importantly, in my opinion, her presence as both an immigrant to Canada and a boss on this floor is inspiration to everyone who walks through these doors that a stable life in Canada is possible. It's within reach. 

[00:04:58] Fatuma: We want the clients to have [00:05:00] the best quality items. No rips, no stains. 

[00:05:03] Miranda Black: Yeah.and like, do these all have tags?

[00:05:05] Miranda Black: Do you tag everything? 

[00:05:06] Cindy Blakly: No, no. Too much work. We've done that in the past, we did tag and we had guns and all that. It just takes too much time. 

[00:05:13] Fatuma: also we have tons of volunteers on the floor helping clients if they have questions or if they have a hard time finding some items.

[00:05:19] Cindy Blakly: So we've got volunteers looking desperately sometimes for coats. We've had Ukrainian families that have come really, literally with nothing and I know we've worked hard trying to [00:05:30] find them as much as we could.

[00:05:31] Fatuma: When a donor comes in, just like you did with the coats, the volunteers will sort through right away. 

[00:05:36] Cindy Blakly: First . 

[00:05:37] Miranda Black: Oh, okay. 

[00:05:37] Cindy Blakly: So they've gone right to be sorted. 

[00:05:39] Miranda Black: Can we see the sorting area? Mm-hmm.

[00:05:41] Miranda Black: Cindy and Fatuma have gotten the algorithm, if you will, of receiving sorting merchandising and selling down to a fine art. If you can imagine for a second, every day, they get random bags of all sorts of different kinds of clothing from infant to grandmas and grandpas. There's a [00:06:00] room piled high almost to the ceiling of these bags, and they all need to go through the algorithm in order to get on the floor of the store, which is called GLOW. That's the retail area of New Circles and it stands for gently loved outfits to wear. 

[00:06:17] Cindy Blakly: and Rita or another staff member will greet the people. Now if things are not suitable, because we, we are fussy we also, collect for shelters. Because sometimes if a coat's [00:06:30] a little bit ripped and it can't be fixed, but still warm. . Often a shelter will take it because the people are appreciative of having a warm jacket. We want people to feel good about what they're getting just like any of us feel when you get something new. 

[00:06:40] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. 

[00:06:41] Cindy Blakly: You know, you feel great, you know? I do. 

[00:06:42] Miranda Black: I'm a big thrift store shopper, so I love it. Doesn't matter where it's been, it's a piece of clothing.

 most of our donors come through and give us good quality items. 

[00:06:50] Miranda Black: Has that been something that's changed over time, that you've trained them that way? 

[00:06:54] Fatuma: It does go up and down. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. But for the most part, we find that our donors are [00:07:00] really generous. Like that. And these are donors that we've had for years. Now, we don't have any boxes or anywhere else people have to come here. We don't, we're, we don't have the capacity to do pickups. except under very rare circumstances. 

[00:07:12] Miranda Black: Right. 

[00:07:13] Cindy Blakly: But we, we don't have a truck. We don't have any of that kind of thing.

[00:07:16] Miranda Black: Yeah. 

[00:07:16] Cindy Blakly: And so we rely on people coming here.

[00:07:18] Miranda Black: Fatuma and Cindy are talking about training donors to donate the right things, which I've talked about in a number of episodes. Your purge pile should have at least two different [00:07:30] categories. Number one: good quality clothing to sell or donate . And number two; textile waste, which is ripped, torn, stained, or otherwise ruined clothing. No one wants this pile. It is garbage and this is a friendly reminder to remove those things from your donations pile. the returning donors, they get used to what we actually ask for 

[00:07:53] Cindy Blakly: That's true. 

[00:07:54] Fatuma: And they give us exactly that. 

[00:07:55] Miranda Black: Yeah. It takes a while for people to, to shift their mentality from like, I'm [00:08:00] just gonna get rid of all my stuff. 

[00:08:01] Cindy Blakly: Yes. 

[00:08:02] Miranda Black: It doesn't matter what condition it is. 

[00:08:03] Cindy Blakly: Exactly. 

[00:08:04] Miranda Black: There's a lot of different levels of donations 

[00:08:07] Cindy Blakly: and there still is what's acceptable to me might not be acceptable to someone else.

[00:08:12] Miranda Black: Right.

[00:08:12] Fatuma: like when we are asking for coats, we want really good condition, the zippers are going, to keep somebody warm. 

[00:08:17] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. 

[00:08:18] Fatuma: So that's what we tell the donors. the boots, they have to be in good condition. 

[00:08:22] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:08:22] Cindy Blakly: and then this is the sorting in here. And these are all volunteers 

[00:08:26] Miranda Black: I'm hoping that those shoes, there was men's shoes I brought in, cuz I [00:08:30] know 

[00:08:30] Cindy Blakly: we're desperate for those kinds of things.

[00:08:32] Miranda Black: Well, I know even promoting a men's clothing store that guys, they wear through their stuff and they don't have as much, they don't have as much they wear through it. , that's something that I already knew. I was like, I bet they're low on men's. 

[00:08:45] Cindy Blakly: We are, we always are. 

[00:08:46] Fatuma: Always, always low.

[00:08:48] Miranda Black: Always low on mens. 

[00:08:48] Miranda Black: Oh, Do you hear that fellas? This is your call to action. Book a closet consult with me to get some closet clarity for yourself and I will personally deliver your purge [00:09:00] right here to Fatuma and Cindy. They need it. They desperately need it. 

[00:09:05] Fatuma: and boys. 

[00:09:06] Cindy Blakly: And boys. Yes. Yeah. Boys of course go through, they're closes like guys, Right? And they don't have as much, they're not as interested in shopping. 

[00:09:13] Cindy Blakly: And so we'll get a lot of girly girl dress that were hardly ever worn, but not the pants that you need. So this is where all the hard work happens. That part's sorted and then now it'll be hung. And then it'll go on the floor. So these gentlemen are working on that hanging things with sizes and then those [00:09:30] will go on the floor. 

[00:09:31] Miranda Black: Wow. It's a lot of work. 

[00:09:33] Cindy Blakly: It's a lot of work.

[00:09:35] Miranda Black: It's a massive clothing store. 

[00:09:36] Cindy Blakly: It's massive. And yet you don't know what you're getting.

[00:09:40] Fatuma: That's right. 

[00:09:40] Miranda Black: And you don't know what you're getting. 

[00:09:41] Cindy Blakly: Exactly. 

[00:09:42] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:09:42] Cindy Blakly: And you might get like hundreds of T-shirts, but really you need hundreds of coats. Yes. Yeah. And so we're dependent on that. So that's, that's a big challenge for Fatuma.

[00:09:53] Fatuma: Every time you're like, Do I get coats for this time of the year? Or sometimes you have it, sometimes we don't.

[00:09:58] Miranda Black: I had someone [00:10:00] give a bunch of stuff in the summer and it was winter stuff and I didn't know, so I was like, Well, I'll bring it and if you don't want it. Whoever it was at the door, and whoever it was said, we take, we take uh, it was like kids snow pants. 

[00:10:12] Cindy Blakly: We store it, right?

[00:10:13] Fatuma: Yes we do. Yeah. we have like the shelves up here. Yeah. We'd store like fall winter at this time. 

[00:10:18] Cindy Blakly: You see they're empty now.

[00:10:20] Miranda Black: Yes. Yeah. 

[00:10:20] Cindy Blakly: That's the trouble thing. 

[00:10:21] Miranda Black: because winter here is like survival.

[00:10:24] Cindy Blakly: we've gotten people in February coming in flip flops. They come from hot, hot countries and they've [00:10:30] never, and they're terrified cuz they never lived in a climate like ours.

[00:10:33] Cindy Blakly: And it's very, very difficult. And a lot of what happens here too is training and educating people on how to dress. 

[00:10:40] Fatuma: Yes. 

[00:10:41] Cindy Blakly: In Canada. 

[00:10:41] Miranda Black: Yeah. 

[00:10:42] Cindy Blakly: So often Fatuma will do displays showing layering. Showing all the different ways of, dressing, But also too, the displays you often having to change them every day. showing how it could be and Oh, I want that so, 

[00:10:54] Cindy Blakly: Well, that's retail, Right? As soon as you put it on display, like, Oh, that, now I see how it works, I think that's been the [00:11:00] challenge, Miranda, is that, you know, when we started , I'm not a retail worker, right? And so I think that's been our challenge the last 15 years is trying to figure out how do you run a social service agency, but also has got this retail component. Yeah. In terms of, storage and organization, and I mean, we've had different consultants come in, but that, that's still a challenge.

[00:11:21] Miranda Black: Yeah. 

[00:11:21] Cindy Blakly: Because none of us are really trained in retail. So it's just trying to learn as we go. 

[00:11:26] Miranda Black: I think the best retail is flying by the seat of your pants. 

[00:11:29] Cindy Blakly: Well, [00:11:30] that's what we've done,

[00:11:32] Miranda Black: So once your clothing's dropped off, it goes through the sorting area. First into general bins: women's, men's, children's. Some bins like women's tops are overflowing and others are completely empty, like boys, six to 10. This is likely the case at clothing donation centers all over the world, boys and men get slim pickin's. 

finally, your donation ends up on the floor of the shopping area, which [00:12:00] is where we're headed to next. 

[00:12:01] Miranda Black: You have a lot of these white pants. 

[00:12:03] Cindy Blakly: Well, those would , have been donated new, right? 

[00:12:06] Miranda Black: Oh wow. we have donations from retailers changing seasons, then they donate to us.

 so we do get, , donations from different supporters, 

[00:12:13] Miranda Black: you know, , I was researching something about overstock. Retailers overstock, and I found this company in Toronto and they burn it. They were like, right? 

[00:12:26] Miranda Black: And I thought, I wonder if there's a way to connect [00:12:30] instead of burning the stuff they can get it to, if we could connect you. But I know that brands don't want their, it's so, it's so gross. But they don't want. Stuff on people 

[00:12:43] Cindy Blakly: who haven't paid for it.

[00:12:44] Miranda Black: Who haven't paid for it. Yeah. Yeah. But if we could somehow guarantee that we'll take off the labels or something like that, 

[00:12:51] Cindy Blakly: we do that and tags and that kind of stuff. 

[00:12:55] Fatuma: Yes. We got some retailers asking that if we take off the tags. we do. 

[00:12:59] Miranda Black: Oh 

[00:12:59] Fatuma: [00:13:00] yes, we do take off the tags.

[00:13:01] Miranda Black: I don't know if it's possible, but I'm like, I would like to approach this company uh, hold on. Did you hear that right? Some companies burn their clothing, overstock? Yeah, they do. It's a common practice even here in Canada on a small scale. For much larger companies who overproduce by millions of units, they frequently send their overstock meaning brand new tags, still on to be burned in the Atacama desert in Chile. Google [00:13:30] it. It's so shocking, I can't possibly do it justice. But the BBC, the guardian, lots of publications larger than mine can take you behind the scenes of that atrocity. For sure I can't change H and M or Shein, or Addidas from burning their overstock, but maybe you do business here in Canada as a clothing company, a warehouse, a wholesaler. 

[00:13:53] Miranda Black: Let's bring you into the circle of New Circles 

[00:13:57] Cindy Blakly: So this is where people check out. And, um, [00:14:00] here is where you might see, , new socks or new underwear or both, because we don't take used in that of those things.

[00:14:07] Miranda Black: Yeah, Yeah. Yep. 

[00:14:07] Cindy Blakly: And so people are entitled to, 

[00:14:09] Miranda Black: Oh, they just get like a, 

[00:14:11] Cindy Blakly: And we also get stuff like jewelry, hygiene kits. We put them here So it's a little bonus if you get a little necklace or something like that. 

[00:14:21] Cindy Blakly: Now is the, are the, is the suit. 

[00:14:24] Fatuma: Oh, the Suit program?

[00:14:25] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. Can we,

[00:14:25] Fatuma: It's on this Friday. Every Friday. 

[00:14:27] Miranda Black: every Friday you have a suit program? 

[00:14:29] Cindy Blakly: Yes.

[00:14:29] Cindy Blakly: [00:14:30] Hello. Hi there. How are you? So they're sorting. It's probably some of the things you just brought in 

[00:14:35] Volunteer: we're kind of done. We're usually here till 12. So this is, We just saw the Halloween bag we thought Yeah, we thought we'd end on a high note. 

[00:14:40] Cindy Blakly: Thank you. 

[00:14:41] Miranda Black: Oh yeah. Look, and you're doing the Halloween stuff right now.

[00:14:44] Volunteer: Oh, isn't this so cute?

[00:14:46] Miranda Black: Oh, my friend she just donated that. 

[00:14:48] Cindy Blakly: So when the sorting isn't going on, here is where the suit program takes place 

[00:14:52] Fatuma: we got this suit program every Friday from nine to 11.

[00:14:56] Miranda Black: Uhhuh. 

[00:14:56] Fatuma: We have a volunteer stylist. He comes in here, he dresses up men who are [00:15:00] looking for jobs or are already on the job for meetings or anything like that? And all this was donated new from, uh. Hugo Boss 

[00:15:07] Miranda Black: R. Really? 

[00:15:08] Fatuma: Yes. 

[00:15:08] Miranda Black: And these are Eton shirt. I used to sell these shirts.

[00:15:10] Cindy Blakly: Oh did ya? 

[00:15:10] Miranda Black: Yeah. We just started this August. So this is a new program you have. 

[00:15:16] Fatuma: Yes. 

[00:15:16] Miranda Black: what, what was the motivation 

We have some programs for women, , but then also we want men to have that, special touch. And usually we find that, women have a lot, And then Hugo Boss was giving us tons of suits. So we thought [00:15:30] what are we gonna do?

[00:15:31] Cindy Blakly: we don't have a big call for suits. 

[00:15:33] Miranda Black: Oh, really? In general. Well, I, I mean, that's the way of the world too, right? Yeah. Yeah. These are nice suits. These are great. Yeah. Yeah. You got a lot of inventory. You've got great inventory. 

[00:15:43] Cindy Blakly: It's trying to get it out, trying to get the word out, Getting people knowing about the program. Yeah. 

[00:15:48] Fatuma: You should see them in how they feel. 

[00:15:51] Miranda Black: do you tailor the suits for them? Like if the sleeve is a little bit too long? 

[00:15:54] Fatuma: I'll do that if they want me to do it.

[00:15:56] Miranda Black: How do you do all these things? ? 

[00:15:58] Fatuma: I dunno. I just do. 

[00:15:59] Cindy Blakly: And [00:16:00] she's got three kids too. No! 

[00:16:01] Fatuma: I love to use my hands and I can just stitch up as they're waiting in here to dress up the suit. Ill just chop the puns for them. 

[00:16:09] Miranda Black: Wow. 

[00:16:09] Cindy Blakly: So what this room was? Miranda was our computer lab. 

[00:16:13] Miranda Black: Oh yeah. I think I've seen it online.

[00:16:14] Cindy Blakly: this is where the skills training took place, but now because of the pandemic, all of it's gone online but now we're using it for this. So this is great. 

[00:16:23] Miranda Black: How do you get your clients? How do they find out about you?

[00:16:27] Cindy Blakly: Oh, we do do awareness through the, [00:16:30] employment agencies. We create, create a flyer. Yeah. And we do an E-blast to all the employment agencies, but we also, it's a lot of word of mouth.

[00:16:38] Cindy Blakly: Yes. . That's the biggest, people that are congregating in their own communities. they will talk about it also, the schools. The schools outreach to welfare, right?

[00:16:48] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. 

[00:16:48] Fatuma: Food banks. Food banks, yes. 

[00:16:50] Miranda Black: Do they have to meet a criteria? Do they have to sign up? How are they allowed to come here? 

[00:16:54] Fatuma: They have to sign up.

[00:16:55] Cindy Blakly: anyone who's on social assistance. Government assistance, a different kind of [00:17:00] program that if they're refugees and new to Canada. But we've never wanted to discriminate against people that are working but that are in lower paid jobs. 

[00:17:07] Miranda Black: Yeah. That's what I'm wondering cuz the infrastructure will be there for the people who are on the government assistance. Right. But I'm just wondering how the people, 

[00:17:14] Cindy Blakly: But we do try to reach those we look at the rent and the paycheck and if they were basically the same or there was just hardly any difference, then they qualified. We never wanted to discriminate it against the working poor. That's a huge segment. And you wanna encourage people to work. And[00:17:30] augment their salary. We're finding that we're saving people about five. Is it 5,000? A family of four? 

[00:17:37] Fatuma: About 5,000 a year. Yes. 

[00:17:38] Cindy Blakly: A year. 

[00:17:39] Miranda Black: $5,000. That's a lot. 

[00:17:41] Cindy Blakly: It's a lot of money. People have to buy food. Yeah. They have to pay rent rent. They have to have a phone. Yes. Let's face it. Yes.

[00:17:48] Miranda Black: And you have to have an internet. 

[00:17:50] Cindy Blakly: And internet pretty well 

[00:17:51] Miranda Black: you have to. Otherwise you can't get the jobs.

[00:17:53] Cindy Blakly: Exactly. 

[00:17:53] Miranda Black: Or keep your job 

[00:17:54] Cindy Blakly: Exactly. So this is a great bonus and I think when I started it, I really [00:18:00] found a gap in that area that had food banks and way for shelters or for a housing programs, but there really wasn't much for clothing in terms of a dignified way of offering that service. So that was something that was important to me 

[00:18:14] Fatuma: It's also part of the social inclusion. . Because newcomers come into this country,

[00:18:18] Miranda Black: The sound gets a little choppy here. There was a lot of people in the room, but Fatuma is saying that. Clothing is part of the social inclusion because newcomers. We come into this country. We want to fit in [00:18:30] with the right clothing, especially kids at school. when they have the right clothing, nice gloves and you know, all that stuff. 

[00:18:37] Miranda Black: We're socially included as opposed to just, you know, being picked on for not dressing up properly. Our clothing helps us fit in. 

[00:18:45] Fatuma: Clothing is very essential 

[00:18:47] Miranda Black: the ironic thing is like downtown clothing's on the street now, all the time, people have so much clothing in their closets that they're just putting it out on the street. 

[00:18:56] Cindy Blakly: I know It makes you weep. I'll tell you a story. There was a [00:19:00] marathon or some running race. This was years ago we went out and people are shedding all their hoodies. So we would go, uh, so here I am at my age going off picking the hoodies and picking the jackets and we had just fantastic things. . I washed them all then I put them on my dining room table to fold them.

[00:19:19] Cindy Blakly: Mm-hmm. Scratch my table, it So I thought, Mm. That was not smart. . I had to have padding there because I didn't real, I mean, I'm not a retailer. . , I never thought about, about, but I mean, , they were [00:19:30] fantastic things. 

 this was in the early days. We haven't done that lately,

[00:19:33] Miranda Black: 

[00:19:33] Miranda Black: I only recently discovered how much clothing is discarded at marathons all over the world. I am not a runner so I was surprised to find it's common practice to wear warm clothing, to start the race. And as you warm up, you discard your layers. Now, the New York city marathon, they are changing. It used to be that they would fill up 20 to 30 city garbage trucks full of clothing and just took it to the dump. But since about [00:20:00] 2008, they've partnered with Goodwill to pick up between, get this 125,000 pounds to 207,000 pounds of clothing. 

[00:20:11] Miranda Black: The amount fluctuates depending on how warm the day is. And these trucks are full of good warm clothing. Lots of it brand new. Could saving clothing, be built into the price of marathon participation? There's a cost of picking up and dropping off. But I have a feeling runners would be happy knowing their clothing has been donated to [00:20:30] someone who's cold. 

[00:20:30] Miranda Black: It's another area of waste that can get cleaned up. We just need the will of a marathon runner to make these changes happen. 

[00:20:37] Cindy Blakly: there are so many. situations where it can be recycled and reused. Yeah. Yeah. What's the, I, I always forget the number, but are we saving about 300,000 pounds of clothing from landfill?

[00:20:49] Fatuma: Yeah. It's about that. Maybe even more. 

[00:20:51] Cindy Blakly: think about it, 300,000 pounds. 

[00:20:53] Cindy Blakly: When we're trying to influence people about donating, we're also saying we're also environmentally friendly. We're doing [00:21:00] something for the environment as well as helping people.

[00:21:02] Cindy Blakly: And recycling clothes , and trying to have people clothed. And, you know, I think I said to you before, if people, don't have their basic needs met, they can't go look for a job. They can't help their kids at school. They can't function. and we try to salvage everything. We used to repurpose the jeans too and make handbags out of it. Mm-hmm. and put them out for the clients. 

[00:21:21] Miranda Black: Do you have sewing machines here? 

[00:21:23] Fatuma: 

[00:21:23] Fatuma: We have, we used to have a sewing class. Mm-hmm. We did. Yeah. But because of Covid. 

[00:21:27] Miranda Black: Oh no. 

[00:21:28] Cindy Blakly: See, so many things have [00:21:30] dropped because of Covid. I mean, we've just tried to survive during Covid. It's, it's been tough. No question. I mean, we had to close 

[00:21:35] Fatuma: and as soon as we reopened the clients were right back. 

[00:21:39] Miranda Black: Oh, 

[00:21:39] Fatuma: missing the services. Yeah. 

[00:21:40] Cindy Blakly: Anyway, let's, I don't want to take any more of Fatuma's time, but thank you Fatuma for joining us. 

[00:21:46] Miranda Black: So nice to meet you.

[00:21:47] Cindy Blakly: Over here, Miranda is the rest of the place.

[00:21:50] Miranda Black: Oh my gosh. There's a whole other world here.

[00:21:53] Miranda Black: so we've left the shopping area and the suit Emporium. And we're now in what looks like corporate offices. [00:22:00] It's quieter. People are on computers and cubicles

[00:22:03] Cindy Blakly: It looks like a little bare at the moment, but, a conference room a classroom. And then these little rooms , doing interviews and that kind of stuff.

[00:22:10] Cindy Blakly: Like our holiday angel program often would sit in there and interview. 

[00:22:14] Miranda Black: What's your holiday angel program? 

[00:22:15] Cindy Blakly: I will tell you about that. Just a sec. this is our little kitchen.

[00:22:18] Miranda Black: Oh yeah.

 and then this is where

 They come in through here, they talk to Nine uhhuh. And if they haven't registered, they'll have an interview with Alberto and I'll introduce you to him.

[00:22:28] Cindy Blakly: Alberto, can I just, interrupt [00:22:30] for a second? 

[00:22:30] Miranda Black: As I'm walking through, meeting all these different employees. I discovered that many of them came through these same doors themselves in search of clothing and warmth at one point. And I suddenly realize the significance of the word circle in New Circles. And this is not an in and out place here today gone tomorrow. This is a place where you can build yourself up. Because he needed bootstraps before you can even think about pulling yourself up by them. 

[00:22:56] Miranda Black: And then you can volunteer to pay it forward or get [00:23:00] training to get an even better job, become an employee become a donor. The circles overlap and spiral toward and away all at the same time. And I can't help thinking how ahead of her time Cindy was naming it, New Circles when stuff like the circular economy, it wasn't really part of the zeitgeists in 2005, which is the year Cindy made the leap from doing the project with friends and family over the holidays at her kitchen table to formally naming [00:23:30] it and giving it a home. And it's working on multiple levels. Whether we have an abundance, we need purging. 

[00:23:38] Miranda Black: Or we're in flip-flops in January. 

[00:23:40] Alberto: We do a very quick assessment . to determine the income and everything. So they registered for four years. 

[00:23:46] Alberto: For four years. 

[00:23:46] Miranda Black: For four years! Mm-hmm. . Oh, wow.

[00:23:48] Alberto: . and if the family lives outside the postal codes , they have to be referred by a social safety provider.

[00:23:54] Cindy Blakly: When we first started, we did the whole city. And it was bedlam and crazy. And it [00:24:00] turned out we just, we didn't have the, 

[00:24:01] Miranda Black: You were overwhelmed.

[00:24:01] Cindy Blakly: We didn't have the capacity. Yeah, yeah. To do it. It was, it was 

[00:24:04] Miranda Black: How many postal codes is it now? 

[00:24:06] Alberto: Well, now we, I believe 13. 13. 

[00:24:09] Miranda Black: really nice to meet you. Thank you. Thank you so much. So 

[00:24:12] Cindy Blakly: now we'll just go in and say hi to Judy. Could we borrow you for a few minutes? 

[00:24:16] Judy Fantham: Of Course. Hi. 

[00:24:17] Cindy Blakly: Do you mind telling Miranda just a bit about our programs, our skills training?

[00:24:21] Miranda Black: This is Judy Fantham, the interim executive director of New Circles. She has a spray of purple in her bangs. She's dressed in a [00:24:30] well-fitted suit jacket with an eye catching broach, right where a bow tie would be. And she has one of those immediately infectious energies, Like anything is possible. 

[00:24:41] Judy Fantham: And the very cool thing is recently we received funding to, , give them paid internships. It's incorporated into their, training. And that's, certified by the Retail Council of Canada. 

[00:24:51] Miranda Black: Oh. 

[00:24:51] Judy Fantham: So they actually have to write . An exam. We've got another program called Business Office Skills. It's probably our most subscribed . And this is to prepare people for [00:25:00] being administrators in an office setting. 

 and many of our employees have been through our programs. .

[00:25:05] Cindy Blakly: We've hired a lot of people 

[00:25:06] Judy Fantham: we have someone who spends a lot of her time finding paid internships or linking them to job placement agencies that are actually funded by the. , to help newcomers find work. 

[00:25:18] Cindy Blakly: it was a natural jumping off point from the clothing program because it's also a basic need to have a job.

[00:25:26] Cindy Blakly: You often don't think of it that way. it's so tough for people who come [00:25:30] to a new country, their credentials aren't accepted. They have no Canadian experience. 

[00:25:34] Cindy Blakly: So this is opening the door. we're always thrilled when we've hired somebody from one of our programs and then they go on to something, you know, even better, you know, So it's all a stepping stone. 

[00:25:46] Judy Fantham: One of the things we're piloting is, we just ran an entrepreneurship program for newcomer women. And, the training was excellent. The content was excellent, but what we learned was these women emerged, they all emerged with a business idea. [00:26:00] Then what do you do 

[00:26:00] Miranda Black: with it?

[00:26:01] Miranda Black: Yeah. And it was diverse, 

[00:26:02] Judy Fantham: right? Yeah. One wanted to start an Airbnb, another one to start a clothing line, . 

[00:26:07] Cindy Blakly: So 

[00:26:07] Miranda Black: I I don't start a clothing line. Yeah, I know. No, don't go there. Don't try to be a designer . Oh my God. We're so jaded. I know. We're so jaded. 

[00:26:17] Judy Fantham: So what we're gonna do is we are going to start to advertise for newcomer women who have talent around textiles. 

[00:26:26] Miranda Black: Yes. 

[00:26:27] Judy Fantham: , refurbishing old 

[00:26:28] Miranda Black: clothes, vintage and [00:26:30] making 

[00:26:30] Judy Fantham: vintage clothes, pillow cases, home decor is, so bring them all together as a cabal.

[00:26:35] Judy Fantham: Give them this entrepreneurial training, which we already know we can do. And launch a social enterprise. 

[00:26:41] Judy Fantham: And I have a group of women very well connected women who love textiles. I mean, they actually do tours around the world, visit various, you know, artists I met with them and we had a brainstorming session. So they said don't go into the clothing line.

[00:26:56] Judy Fantham: Yeah, it's, , it's oversaturated. You gotta worry about sizing. [00:27:00] Home decor is where it's bake and attract these women who have unique talents. 

[00:27:06] Miranda Black: would they be using virgin textiles or, Or repurposed stuff?

[00:27:11] Miranda Black: Repurposed textiles comes in from here. we get 

[00:27:13] Judy Fantham: stuff in here and most of it is excellent quality, Right? Some of it is not.

[00:27:18] Judy Fantham: Yeah. But we could repurpose some of those fabrics and make a beautiful array of pillows.

[00:27:23] Judy Fantham: So anyway, , This is something else that we're excited about.

[00:27:26] Judy Fantham: Right? And it's up 

[00:27:27] Miranda Black: your alley, so you might be, It's totally on my alley there.

[00:27:29] Cindy Blakly: Well, our [00:27:30] tagline is community and connections, so, 

[00:27:33] Judy Fantham: Yeah. Yeah. I think that doing stuff with reused textiles, that's the stuff that people will want to buy.

[00:27:38] Miranda Black: That's interesting.

[00:27:39] Miranda Black: And people really like stories behind their products. 

[00:27:42] Miranda Black: Miranda 

[00:27:42] Cindy Blakly: was surprised that we don't get, public funding for glo.

[00:27:46] Cindy Blakly: It's basically private funding. 

[00:27:48] Miranda Black: So the funding for GLOW, governments aren't interested or they don't find it in need. What do you think that, where's the sticking point there?[00:28:00] 

[00:28:00] Cindy Blakly: I don't know. Well, we've, we've applied, But on the whole, no, our funding for our clothing program is private. 

[00:28:08] Miranda Black: Like you go, we have fundraising campaigns. Ah, and most of that money is going to support Glo. . government funding, it's, , more geared to our skills training programs.

 so those we could fund many times over. It's harder sell Yeah. To fund the clothing. what I've always felt is , that's our key program because that's what brings people in the door.

[00:28:28] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. And it's the, and [00:28:30] then from there people are jumping off to other programs. But you have to have your basic, I keep harping on this, but you have to have your basic needs met And yet we've not been able to attract United Way money or any kind of, outside money for that program.

[00:28:44] Cindy Blakly: So all of our fundraising, that we do on our own, goes to put on the lights and pay the staff and that kind of thing. , Wow. 

[00:28:51] Miranda Black: Are you ever told why , they don't accept? Well, 

[00:28:55] Cindy Blakly: I mean, yes. , just in that they're often not want, they're wanting to [00:29:00] fund more skills.

[00:29:00] Cindy Blakly: They wanna get people working, 

[00:29:02] Miranda Black: right. Yeah. And clothing seems frivolous. Yeah.

[00:29:05] Cindy Blakly: so obviously we're very interested in people not only making clothing donations, but also financial donations. Because it's only through that, that we can keep the program going.

[00:29:16] Cindy Blakly: Wow. Yeah. So, , it's very, very important. We found in the past, it's harder for people to transition from a clothing donor to also a financial. . Often people feel, well, I'm, I'm giving my clothes. Yeah. You know, that's my donation. [00:29:30] Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's sometimes hard to get people to transition 

[00:29:34] Cindy Blakly: To, thinking, Hey, they need money too. And we do. I mean, it's it's a huge operation here. Mm-hmm. , I have no idea. When I look at 

[00:29:43] Cindy Blakly: what you're doing, Well that's, that's why I wanted you to see it, because it makes a big difference. Yeah. you know, I, I'm so proud of, of what it's become , all the people that we're employing and they're doing such great work.

[00:29:55] Miranda Black: Are there times still now when you're not sure whether it can continue? [00:30:00] No, 

[00:30:00] Cindy Blakly: I don't think so. 

[00:30:01] Judy Fantham: No. In fact, I'm really hopeful. I think we're on the cusp 

[00:30:03] Miranda Black: of great growth, right? Mm-hmm. . Oh, that's good. Yeah. But there have been times in the past. 

[00:30:08] Cindy Blakly: Sure. Yes, Yes. There have been challenges in terms of funding, but we have unbelievably loyal donors Yeah.

[00:30:17] Cindy Blakly: That believe in what we're doing. And I don't know if that's unusual, Judy. I, I promise you it's 

[00:30:23] Judy Fantham: unusual. I have never seen anything like it in my career. , I cannot believe it. I'll get a check from [00:30:30] someone from 10,000 for $10,000. Wow. I 

[00:30:32] Miranda Black: would never seen 

[00:30:33] Judy Fantham: a private donor and not just one. You know? So it's, uh, Wow.

[00:30:37] Judy Fantham: It's remarkable. And you go, Wow. They really believe in what we're doing, and they're right. Yeah. Yeah. And we couldn't do it without them. And 93 volunteers, we have 93 volunteers who are sorting through and displaying and helping 

[00:30:50] Cindy Blakly: the clients. Yeah. Well, it started as a volunteer driven agency. At the beginning, everyone was volunteer.

[00:30:57] Cindy Blakly: And then as we got bigger, it became obvious that we needed to [00:31:00] have . A paid staff. And it's, it just grown and grown and grown, I think people believe in what we're doing. I makes me proud to be Canadian in so many ways because I think we are an inclusive country and people realize the barriers that newcomers have and morally wanna do what they can to help Yeah.

[00:31:17] Cindy Blakly: Remove those barriers and, and give them a chance. And you asked me about the holiday angel program. Yes. we match our clients, , with people in the community who want to help newcomers or people that are [00:31:30] struggling right now. , it's a one time only basis. It happens at Christmas, Uhhuh, and we interview families , then we match them with donors that, , want to help them.

 I started that program in 1996.

[00:31:43] Cindy Blakly: when I was at the toronto school board,

[00:31:44] Cindy Blakly: Uhhuh and matched, my clients with my friends, and then, , it morphed to get the other social workers' clients.

[00:31:51] Cindy Blakly: And then we got different schools involved and different classrooms, adopted a family and that kind of thing. So how, 

[00:31:58] Miranda Black: for example, let's say I'm, I'm [00:32:00] in, how do I do it? 

[00:32:01] Cindy Blakly: the program's closed for donors. . But they could next 

[00:32:03] Miranda Black: year. And when does it start generally?

[00:32:05] Cindy Blakly: We start planning it in August. Okay. And then the interviews are taking place in September and October. Then we match the families at the end of October, beginning of November, 

[00:32:13] Cindy Blakly: Then in December, as a donor, you would receive as a family profile. So you would have a story about the family and where they're from and why they came here, and maybe what they're struggling with and what they need.

[00:32:26] Cindy Blakly: And in the past, in all the years, up to before the pandemic, people [00:32:30] would go out and buy them things. Yeah. That they would buy coats and, , plates and pots and pans and that kind of thing because they had nothing. And now because of the pandemic, we have changed that and we are just doing gift cards, Uhhuh

[00:32:44] Cindy Blakly: And so we're doing the interviews and still asking people what they need, but instead of saying what. Coat does your son need? Or whatever. We would say, What store could you get to ah, to , buy that?

[00:32:55] Cindy Blakly: And then , on the profile that's written, we'd say they would really [00:33:00] appreciate a gift certificate to Walmart to buy their son, you know, snow suit Yeah.

[00:33:04] Cindy Blakly: Or, you know, shoes or boots or whatever it is. Yeah. Yeah. So it's basically basic needs.

[00:33:09] Cindy Blakly: it was the fundamental program with the clothing program and how we started. Ah, and it's something of course close to my heart because, , I've seen the difference it makes to people to find that these strangers are caring about you Yeah.

[00:33:22] Cindy Blakly: And giving you a head start.

[00:33:24] Cindy Blakly: and then at the end, people, will write a thank you note,

[00:33:27] Cindy Blakly: So the donor gets that positive feedback [00:33:30] of what a difference it made Yeah. To their lives. 

[00:33:32] Cindy Blakly: it's absolutely wonderful. , it's incredible how people, it costs a lot of money to be a donor, but it's, people are knocked down the doors to do it every single year.

[00:33:41] Cindy Blakly: Right? Yeah. And so many people have said to me, This is my best part of Christmas. And I get my kids and we go out and we buy and we, we know something about the family and it makes everybody feel good. It's a win-win.

[00:33:52] Cindy Blakly: I can't tell you what it means to some of our families that they're actually people willing to spend that kind of money on them.

[00:33:59] Cindy Blakly: They never [00:34:00] met them. Yeah. They've never experienced that kind of kindness before. So many will say, I can't believe Canadians that Canadians will, will do this . And it, it's, um, yeah. My heart it is heartbreaking. Yeah. And some of their stories, Miranda course beyond belief there, and again, it speaks to the resilience of the people that come here.

[00:34:20] Cindy Blakly: Yeah. The bravery. especially when they have special needs children. Yeah. Oh, okay. Or all sorts of things that, Or medical issues.

[00:34:27] Miranda Black: how much are the families [00:34:30] spending approximately?

[00:34:31] Miranda Black: Well, it really varies. 

[00:34:32] Judy Fantham: , we've had families that have maybe bought a couple thousand dollars worth of gift cards. probably a minimum of 

[00:34:38] Cindy Blakly: $500 and Yes.

[00:34:40] Cindy Blakly: For small family, Yeah. Okay. 

[00:34:41] Miranda Black: Yeah. Yeah. Just to let people know what they're getting into. That would 

[00:34:45] Cindy Blakly: be like one or two people.

[00:34:46] Cindy Blakly: often people will just donate money and they don't want a family.

[00:34:50] Cindy Blakly: So, Oh, I see. A friend of mine donates a thousand dollars of Metro gift cards. 

[00:34:55] Cindy Blakly: I hate to turn down anybody who wants to help. because it's important. when I interview people, I [00:35:00] always say that Holiday angels are people with big hearts, but sometimes they have different size wallets.

 so I can't promise you that you're going to get everything that you've asked for, but you will get something. Yeah. And just know that it's that people are caring. Yeah. But, but some can't afford as much as others. the families are aware of that and it's a bit like a lottery's, what I say.

[00:35:21] Cindy Blakly: You might get someone who spends, you know, several thousand dollars and some that spend 500, Right? Most of them, I, they don't have beds. . They don't [00:35:30] have any furniture. They don't have, kitchen equipment. they've come with nothing.

 And it's only once. You can only have it once. again like a lottery.

[00:35:38] Cindy Blakly: When people see the joy in people's faces. My, , daughter's in-laws said when we used to, , deliver the gifts, they said that was their favorite time in their whole lives. They'd take them and then these kids would be shrieking with joy. Oh. You know, when they'd see all the packages.

[00:35:52] Cindy Blakly: I mean, you wouldn't, that whole GLOW store we used to push everything aside and then there'd be. All the different packages that would go and some [00:36:00] families got 10 or 12 baskets. Wow. You know, filled with incredibly wonderful things. So anyway, that's what Holiday Angels is. . 

[00:36:08] Miranda Black: I love Holiday Angels.

[00:36:10] Miranda Black: Whenever I go behind the scenes of a store or a business. What I really want to know is what is this place and how did it all happen? I have ideas. You have ideas. We all have ideas, but putting them into reality. That's the tricky part. 

[00:36:25] Miranda Black: And it's gotta be more than just plain old hard work. Otherwise every single parent [00:36:30] with two jobs would be a CEO by now. What I want to know is what's the secret sauce, the defining moment that changed at all from business idea to reality. And I wondered if it was the same when starting a not-for-profit. And the words of Jean-Luc Picard. How do you make it so well, I asked Cindy how she made the first year happen. 

[00:36:55] Cindy Blakly: I, have a foundation, so I was able to, , use the [00:37:00] foundation to pay for , rent. We rented space in, Flemington Plaza, , and to buy a computer, Uhhuh

[00:37:07] Cindy Blakly: And, uh, everything else was followed 

[00:37:09] Miranda Black: here. Like you started about foundation or you had the foundation prior 

[00:37:11] Cindy Blakly: to that? I also, I had the foundation prior. It's called The Caring Foundation. And the Caring Foundation has been a, an integral partner of New Circles since inception. 

[00:37:21] Miranda Black: So you knew a little bit about.

[00:37:24] Miranda Black: owning a fa you know, what I kind of was able to straddle two worlds in a way because I understood the social work [00:37:30] side and the difficulty people had in, , meeting their basic needs and functioning. . . Then I also, , had the philanthropic side in terms of under of having a foundation and, , using funds from it to fund different, , agencies, that I believed in.

[00:37:46] Cindy Blakly: And, , since , the Caring Foundation has basically focused everything on new circles 

[00:37:52] Miranda Black: As an aside, Cindy mentioned, she wasn't sure if talking about her foundation was really necessary for the story. And I [00:38:00] understand her trepidation. We are inundated right now with stories of offshore accounts, fraud, empty foundations used to hide money. I'm specifically thinking here about a certain president who used their charity to purchase a portrait of themselves. 

[00:38:14] Miranda Black: These stories can make those of us without foundations cynical of the good they do. And can perhaps make those who do have the means cautious to open up and talk about how. They paved this path.

[00:38:26] Miranda Black: But I'd argue it's absolutely necessary to talk about 

[00:38:29] Miranda Black: Because it's an [00:38:30] inspiration in. in these dark times of how someone willingly takes their bounty And transforms it into a legacy Jessie., you knew how to , fund different agencies and then you thought, , why don't. Fund your vision of what 

[00:38:45] Cindy Blakly: it was kind of like being an entrepreneur.

[00:38:47] Cindy Blakly: But being an entrepreneur where you didn't make any money , Right. So you were giving your money away. , 

[00:38:53] Cindy Blakly: I decided I wanted to take early retirement from the school board. I, I'd worked there 20 years and I wanted to change. [00:39:00] And it, uh, just seemed like, um, kind of an exciting idea to start something like this.

[00:39:05] Cindy Blakly: And I have to admit, I never thought that, , so many years later, that , we'd be standing in this, , unbelievable place and have 

[00:39:14] Miranda Black: So here we are back full circle from where we started. I originally dropped into New Circles to talk to the founder and ask my founder questions about how it all began.

[00:39:24] Miranda Black: But what I discovered is this is not one person's story. It's not even about the [00:39:30] three or four people I talked to. It's about tens of thousands of people. Every person who's been touched by the power of New Circles. Maybe you're listening to this because you have a relationship with Cindy's legacy. Oh. And get this another word for legacy is consequence. And I have loved thinking about all the consequences, the outcomes, the ups from the downs that have happened. 

[00:39:56] Miranda Black: Because one woman's heart broke at the sight of kids going [00:40:00] cold in the winter. See, I don't think I'm, you know, I'm the founder, but all these people make it so rich. And make it so interesting. And they're the vibrancy of what New Circles is now. 

[00:40:11] Miranda Black: Cindy has so many stories of mothers. Who've lost babies from random bombs going off. Brilliant scientists and doctors unable, or should I say ineligible to practice medicine here? Trained nurses. Going hungry from lack of work 

[00:40:29] Miranda Black: and the [00:40:30] judgment, so many newcomers face with having brown skin broken English and worn out clothes. But if I only use New Circles story to inspire Goodwill to immigrants, I lose this other important dimension. Inspiring those with means who might be wondering, how do I create a legacy? How do I give back? 

[00:40:51] Cindy Blakly: I'm not one that likes to take the spotlight really.I will do anything to help promote New Circles,

 I'm kind of boring really compared to somebody else.

[00:40:59] Miranda Black: Hanging out [00:41:00] at New Circles with Cindy was one of the least boring moments of my year. Cindy is right about one thing that she's part of the circle, but just like a big splash into a river. The ripples she's created bounce off and create more ripples I plan on repairing this episode every August to remind people that the holiday angels program is now open for people with big hearts and all the different sized wallets that make up Canada. If you have the means this holiday [00:41:30] season New Circles. 

[00:41:32] Miranda Black: They could really, really use your donations. It is desperate out there, whether it's clothing that Fatuma can get on the racks or a check that knocks Judy socks off. And if your wallet isn't plumped this year, but you have some free time, you can volunteer.

[00:41:48] Miranda Black: Or follow them on Instagram and share their posts. Share this episode with someone purging their closet, or how about this? I get a group of friends together to take turns, driving your seasonal closet, [00:42:00] clears up to new circles instead of helping those dudes at value village, get richer. They don't need you as much as new circles does. If you liked this episode, please share it with a good friend and give it a review. Your reviews, help my ratings. And it tells apple that I'm actually a, somebody. Thank you to Cindy Fatuma, Alberto, Judy, the volunteer team, all the generous donors and all the grateful clients to New Circles. Thank you for sharing your stories and your time [00:42:30] with me. 

[00:42:30] Miranda Black: It really was. One of the highlights of my year. Happy holidays.