VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce that the club have partnered with Common Thread to create a limited edition series of drawstring gear bags made from repurposed fence banners. The bags will be made available for purchase at all remaining Whitecaps FC home matches, starting with the August 24 match against LA Galaxy.
Bags will be sold for $14.99, with net proceeds from sales donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). Remaining bags will be made available at the Official Whitecaps FC Store at Metrotown during the last week of August.
“As an organization that prides itself on being an asset to the community and on being sustainable, we were very excited to partner with Common Thread,” said Whitecaps FC chief operating officer Rachel Lewis. “The bags look great and are extremely functional, and the proceeds support a very worthy cause in the Canadian Mental Health Association.”
Common Thread is a non-profit, sustainable Vancouver cooperative that repurposes street banners and other fabric into tote bags, lunch bags, and sports equipment bags. Common Thread hires local women who have employment barriers – newcomers to Canada, people living with mental illness and others – and allows them to thrive in a flexible work environment.
Earlier this month, Whitecaps FC donated leftover banners from Empire Field, which have been turned into stylish drawstring gear bags featuring the ‘Caps logo. Additional generic material from the banners will be used by Common Thread for their future projects.
“Working with Whitecaps FC is a wonderful opportunity for us to reach a new group of people,” added Melanie Conn of Common Thread. “The support of the club has been fantastic from the moment they called to see if we were interested in partnering with them. I’m sure everyone will love the bags.”
For more information on Common Thread, visit http://www.commonthreadcoop.ca. To learn more about the CMHA, go to their booth at ‘Caps Kickoff prior to the match, visit them at section 213 on the concourse, or check out their website at http://www.cmha.ca.
