'I would've given it to you': Thrift shop owner responds to thefts with clothing drive

Thrift store responds to thieving by giving A Wetaskiwin thrift-store owner is launching a clothing drive to help the homeless after recent thefts at her store. Marek Tkach reports.

A thrift store owner in Wetaskiwin is launching a new campaign responding to stealing by giving.

Wetaskiwin's Hurricane Hustles thrift shop is missing merchandise because shoplifting has become a huge problem.

"You're stealing from a mom who needs the money just as much as you do, but if you would've just asked me, I would've given it to you," owner Katrina Kraft said. "There are other ways around it rather than just taking it."

More than a dozen thieves have been caught at the store located on 49 Avenue at 48 Street over the last few months, but instead of calling the police, she's decided to help.

"Every day, we have people coming in needing assistance with something, whether that's a coat, mitts, honestly a bottle of pop, a bag of chips," she said. "It never fails, somebody comes in every day."

Kraft has launched a clothing drive to get winter jackets, tuques and mitts into the hands of people who need them.

“Wetaskiwin has a lot of homeless people," Kraft said. "I just think I need to help and this is the only way I can do it."

Hope Mission runs the city's temporary homeless shelter and says it would like to help more people but can't because of capacity restrictions.

"We've had over 40 people go to recovery programming; we’ve had five people get housed," said Kelly Row with Hope Mission. "Those are the stories we focus on, helping people get from point A to point B."

Last May, the city granted Hope Mission a development permit to build a new shelter. City council voted in favour of asking the province to reconsider $3.2 million of approved funding for the project.

That came after several heated public hearings with business owners and residents.

“The province has a contract with Hope Mission to operate the shelter, and as far as I know, we’ll continue on," Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam said. "If Hope Mission’s plan is to start construction within the next month, then there’s nothing that would be stopping them at this point."

Hope Mission still plans on breaking ground on the project sometime in February or March.