News & Stories

Environmental Achievement Through Everyday Generosity

June 19, 2025

We are so honoured to share that the Calgary Drop-In Centre’s Free Goods Program has received the Calgary Award for Environmental Achievement from the City of Calgary.

On behalf of all of us at the DI, I want to extend our deepest thanks to Mayor Jyoti Gondek and the city for this recognition.

Watch the DI’s Free Goods Program’s nomination video:

This award is a celebration of people helping people— all while helping the planet. Not everyone can afford the basic items needed to make a house a home. The Free Goods Program has been a critical part of Calgary’s Homeless-Serving System of Care (HSSC), supporting low-income and vulnerable individuals—including Indigenous peoples, seniors, newcomers, and refugees—as they settle into housing with dignity.

In 2024 alone, we distributed 821,562 items to more than 20,449 Calgarians—the majority of these were donated goods that otherwise might have ended up in landfills. Items that were gently used, overstocked, or store returns found new life in new homes.

Thanks to incredible partners like the Calgary Food Bank, who donated 4,000 pounds of non-food items since 2024—and Just Junk, who donated 191 one-ton trucks worth of goods this year. Other incredible partnerships include IKEA Calgary, Costco Beacon Hill, hotels and food services companies, and many more.

We’re not only helping people get back on their feet, but we’re also drastically reducing waste and rethinking what it means to care for our community.

This work is only possible because of the generosity of Calgarians. If you’ve ever donated a couch, a set of dishes, or a few unopened essentials – this award belongs to you, too.

Thank you for believing in this work – it truly does take a community to build community.