Cape Crusaders

On December 24th, members of the Downtown Lower Eastside Community became a lot more prepared for the harsh Vancouver elements, thanks to Arc’Teryx Equipment Inc.

Working on three separate Saturdays at the Arc’teryx manufacturing facility located in Burnaby, volunteers cut and sewed 560 specially-designed capes for Vancouver’s homeless that will repel wind and rain during the city’s often dreary winter weather.  Especially notable, on Saturday, November 26, over 300 capes were produced in one day. When last year, 300 capes in total were distributed to The Salvation Army’s Harbour Light in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.  Project coordinator Tara Latham shares, “spirits were high and it was quite difficult to pull people off their sewing machines at the end of the day.”

These simple capes are constructed with re-purpose / end-of-roll and discontinued fabrics that the company utilizes in its premium quality GORE-TEX® garments. What started as an effort to find other uses for fabrics destined for the trash has turned into a product to assist those in need.  This is the second year in a row that employees have volunteered their time for this holiday inspired initiative.