Every dollar spent at a WINS thrift store on June 18 will carry twice the weight, thanks to a new community initiative from longtime corporate partner ATCO Energy. The company announced Tuesday it will donate one per cent of its annual profits to community partners across Alberta, including WINS and Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta.
As part of the initiative, June 18 is being declared 'Double Your Impact Day' at all WINS locations. All purchases made that day, up to $10,000, will be matched by ATCO Energy, effectively doubling the support for WINS' programs that aid women and families.
Lindsey Hagen, ATCO Energy's Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, said the campaign is intended to be part of Calgary's 2026 Neighbour Day celebrations on June 20, giving Calgarians a simple way to help their neighbours while shopping for themselves. 'This commitment reflects our longstanding focus on supporting organizations that help build stronger, more resilient communities,' Hagen said. 'Through this contribution, WINS can continue helping women and families access the resources they need to achieve both stability and independence.'
For WINS, the campaign comes at a time when demand for support continues to grow. Karen Ramchuk, president and CEO of WINS, noted, 'Every day we work to help women and their families, and for people in our city, it's getting harder and harder. Calgary is a tough place to be a woman, so when partners like ATCO Energy lean in and give support, it just means we can do more work.'
WINS operates eight thrift stores plus the More Store across Calgary, along with five community resource hubs where women can receive one-on-one support. The nonprofit also runs several free community programs to help women get back on their feet, including job training and skills building. 'Women are welcome to come to WINS wherever they are in their journey of life, and if there's a way that we can lend support, we lend that support, because we know that when a woman thrives, her family picks up and thrives beside her,' Ramchuk said.
The announcement builds on a partnership that began four years ago, with ATCO Energy currently serving as the official energy supplier for WINS. Hagen said ATCO Energy partnered with WINS and Habitat for Humanity because of the organizations' focus on affordability and the essential supports they provide Albertans. 'As an organization, our purpose is to make lives easier for our customers, as well as the business owners that we work with, and so this is really a natural extension of that,' she added.
Ramchuk emphasized that community support is vital to WINS' work. 'WINS only exists because of Calgarians,' she said. 'They donate their items they no longer need to us, they donate money to us, they donate time to us.' Both Ramchuk and Hagen indicated that 'Double Your Impact Day' could become an annual event, pending community engagement.
