Ginch 2011 wrap up.

My appologies for the sporatic, and late updates to the blog. We have shifted most of our updates to facebook this year and it is difficult to update both. We hope to have a new webpage layout next year that will make updates seamless.

On Thursday Oct 6th the 2011 Got Ginch cross Canada Underwear Drive wrapped up in Halifax NS. This years journey took 9 days, and 79 hours behind the wheel. Our primary goal of delivering a little dignity to 10 shelters across Canada was achieved with 35000 pairs of underwear on time and on target. Each shelter expressed their sincere appreciation for the gift. In most locations we were able to generate substantial amounts of media attention for each group and allowed them to raise their profiles in the community. Special thanks to Souls Harbor in Halifax who made our final drop a very successful event.

Fund raising has already begun for next years adventure. We plan to add some exciting changes to the initiative.

Stay tuned and Ginch be with you.

Brent

Saskatchewan in a day

We delivered to Saskatoon and Regina today. Of note, MLA Warren McCall joined us in Regina. Thanks for your support Warren. Tomorrow we will join 30 local CEO's who have spent the night on the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg. They are doing it to raise awareness and funds for a program that finds work for former street people. Breakfast television has requested that we make an appearance as well.
Glad to lend a hand.

Brent

3 deliveries complete

With this years severly truncated schedule it will be very difficult to update the BLOG as often as I would like. Please join us at www.Facebook.com/gotginch for regular updates.

So far we have delivered to Vancouver's Union Gospel Mission and the Mustard Seed in both Calgary and Edmonton. We are presently on the road to the Bridge Saskatoon. We will deliver to The Bridge at 10 am Wednesday followed by a delivery to Souls Harbor Rescue Mission, Regina in the afternoon. Multiple drops each day will shorten the overall time away from home but will certainly take a toll on our bodies.

All three Shelters saw good media exposure that we hope helps in their specific fundraising efforts and greater awareness of the issues.

Huge shout out to my Wife and Son who, for three years running, have allows me to do this cazy adventure.

Ginch be with you.

Brent

We begin deliveries Sept 27th 2011

Our Trip Begins Sept 27 with the first drop of 10. We will deliver 3,500 pairs of Ginch to Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver. We hit the road that afternoon and will make our next stops in Calgary and Edmonton on the 28th. Stay tuned as we will update you on our progress as much as possible. We are trying to shave a few days off the trip this year but don't worry we will deliver to the same ten cities as last year.

Brent and Robb

Got? Ginch 2011

The Got? Ginch 2011 campaign was launched on Dec 8 2010 with the screening of the documentary "One Problem". One Problem is a one hour documentary by Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi that captures the stories and lessons learned from the first Cross Canada Underwear Drive in 2009. The event was a huge success, raising 12 thousand dollars for this years drive. These are enough funds to supply Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton with underwear. This years goal: 35 000 pairs of tighty-whities.

Thank you to everyone who attended and special thanks to my co-hosts Robb Price and Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi

Got? Ginch 2011 is under way!

Wanna get involved?

Visit our donations page.

Brent

End of the Road

Got? Ginch 2010 came to an end on May 28th in Halifax NS. Our final stops Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax went very smoothly. Thank You to everyone who supported us this year with donations, volunteer time and well wishes.



Some fun facts:

More than $32,000.000 raised in donations this year

Donations ranged from $10.00 to $5,000.00

30 000 pairs of Ginch to 10 homeless shelters (more than 3000 lbs total)

If one man was to wear a new pair of underwear each day, we delivered enough ginch to last that person more than 83 years

Stretched out we delivered 34 Kilometers of waist band elastic

Narrowly avoided 1 large awkward moose at 2am (Ontario)

0 speeding tickets, 0 Moving Violations, 1 police search





Deliver Good

A special thank you to Robb Price my Navigator and CoPilot on this adventure. Robb's initiative www.delivergood.org was launched on this year's trip and has found tremendous pick up in just 3 short weeks. Deliver Good is an online giving network that matches Charities and Nonprofits who need stuff with people who have stuff. It truly streamlines the giving process and brings some much needed efficiency. If you have a used item that you are looking to give to charity, simply log on, type a description of the item, and Charities with that need will be matched in your local area. Brilliant! Wish I would have thought of it!



Whats Next?
"One Problem" the documentary is due to be complete this summer, we hope to show it at the launch party for www.delivergood.org . I will keep you posted

We have been hearing stories that a number of businesses across Canada have started underwear initiatives with their employees. For example, Bring new underwear to work and receive a free ice-cream at lunch. Shelters across Canada told me that underwear donations were up this year. The word is getting out, but the problem is by no means solved. I asked each location how long the Ginch lasted last year. The numbers vary between 2 months and 11 months.

This year, like last year, one question continued to be asked across the country. What about the ladies? I acknowledge that the need exists and that it is at least as important as the need for Mens Underwear, but I maintain that two guys traveling cross country with a truck load of women's underwear is a little creepy. We are working to find a couple of like minded ladies to take up the challenge.

I am committed to seeing this initiative continue, however what it will look like next year remains to be seen. For now I plan to take a couple of Ginch free months off until the fund raising begins again. I hope you all will join me in 2011.

Ginch Be With You!

Brent

News Brief: Deliver Good picks up Got Ginch Cross-Canada Underwear Drive

DeliverGood has teamed up with GotGinch to solve problems nationwide. After being introduced by a mutual friend, DeliverGood founder, Robb Price and GotGinch founder, Brent King quickly realized they were working with the same intention and a partnership seemed obvious to both. The synergies between the GotGinch vision to deliver 30,000 pairs of men's underwear to homeless shelters and DeliverGood's role in developing a platform to allow people to solve problems in their own way, was a natural alignment. Brent and GotGinch were solving one problem nationwide and DeliverGood was taking a similar approach to build efficiencies into the charitable giving process nationwide.

King and Price are traveling across Canada, Vancouver to Halifax, from May 14th to May 28th delivering 30,000 pairs of "ginch" to homeless shelters. During this trip DeliverGood will be launching its national initiative in each market.

"GotGinch's slogan after our partnership is 'GotGinch, driven by DeliverGood'. I guess since I will be sharing driving duties with Brent in the R.V. there is a literal truth here. In all seriousness, DeliverGood could not have found a better partner to launch with than Brent and GotGinch." says Price

"After realizing the success of our first GotGinch drive in 2009, I started looking for a way to build a template to allow others to solve problems large or small. I learned about DeliverGood and the rest, as they say, is history. I'm thrilled that DeliverGood has decided to work with and...spend 75 hours driving with us." says King


To learn more about GotGinch visit: http://www.delivergood.org/gotginch
To learn more about DeliverGood visit: http://www.delivergood.org (launching Friday, May 14th)

Ginch in storage at eatART lab in Vancouver

Thanks to the good people at eatART and EVASC in Vancouver. The Ginch has a temporary home.

Taste of Ginch "One Problem" the documentary

Calgary film maker Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi
Has released the following two trailers for his Documentary "One Problem"
check them out!

http://www.vimeo.com/11545407
http://www.vimeo.com/11316975



1 week to the first drop in Vancouver. Very exciting!

Brent

Documentary of Got? Ginch 2009

I am excited to announce that we have been granted funds from the Canada Council for the Arts to make last years drive into a full blown documentary. Ramin, who traveled with me last year and filmed the adventure is working hard to create a feature length piece called "One Problem". We are hoping to have at least a short version teaser ready for this years delivery dates. Stay tuned.

The order is on the Boat

I have received word that our order has been loaded on the ship and has hit the high seas. ETA Vancouver is May 1st. I have also booked my flights into Vancouver and home from Halifax.

The following schedule is tentative but soon to be firm:
Vancouver Union Gospel Mission Friday, May 14 10am
Calgary The Mustard Seed Monday, May 17 10am
Edmonton The Mustard Seed Tuesday, May 18 10am
Saskatoon The Bridge Wednesday, May 19 9:00am
Regina Souls Harbour Rescue Mission Thursday, May 20 10am
Winnipeg Siloam Mission Friday, May 21 10am
Toronto Yonge Street Mission Monday, May 24 10am
Ottawa The Ottawa Mission Tuesday, May 25 10am
Montreal Mission Bon Accueil Wednesday, May 26 10am
Halifax Saint Leonard's Society Thursday, May 27 10am

Make plans to join us when we get to your town.

Congratulations Everyone. WE DID IT!. The deadline is here and we have managed to raise enough money to purchase 30,000 pairs of Underwear for the drive. That's approximately 3600 lbs! Thanks loads to everyone who has stepped up with donations and pledges for this years purchase of Underwear. I will be following up with pledges in the next few days and plan to place the order early next week. If you have pledged support but have not had time to make your contribution please do so now. Let me know if you have not received your Tax Deductable receipt and I will ensure it is in process.
We will continue accepting support and direct it toward Gas Money. (last year cost $1,500.00)
Things left to do:
1. Order Ginch
2. Secure Transportation
3. Raise some Gas Money (stay tuned)

Ginch be with you.
Brent

Hello Halifax!!!

8 days 21hours and 25 minutes left until our deadline and we have entered Halifax. Sooooooo Close. The quote process is complete and the factory is standing by for our order. I would hate to short change our friends on the coast. Any White Knights left out there who can help out?

$ 3000 to the goal of 10 cities!

Brent

On to Montreal

Santa was very good to us. Thanks to a number of generous donations over the holidays we have made it to the next City. 16 days to the deadline and 1.5 cities to go. We cant stop now! Too close to the coast.

Merry Ginchmas Toronto!!

Just a quick update everyone. I have not received the official totals in the Fund from the Mustard Seed but I received a few very generous donations today. I am confident this has moved us into Toronto, and quite possibly into Ottawa.

Stay tuned, and Merry Ginchmas!!

We were very strong out of the gates but it appears that we are stuck in Winnipeg. Although a shorter trek this year has some appeal to me, I would hate to see the initiative stop short. If you are planning to make a charitable donation this holiday season please consider this one. If you have been intending to donate but haven’t found the time please do so soon.

I plan to place the order for the product mid January which will allow time for fabrication and delivery in early fall. In order to place the order I will need to have all donations in and accounted for.

Remember every bit helps and everyone gets a tax deductable receipt.

Three ways to contribute:
By Phone:
Contact the Mustard Seed 403 269 1319 tell them you would like to contribute to the GotGinch Underwear fund.

On Line:
https://www.theseed.ca/DonationForm.html be sure to indicate the donation is for the GotGinch Underwear Fund in the comments section

To Brent:
Cash, or Cheques, can be given to me directly and I will submit them for you.

Help if you can,

On to Winnipeg

WOW. Great start.

So far initial pledges have gathered enough funds to supply: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina and half of Winnipeg’s needs (3000 pairs each). Yes, the West Got Ginch. Let’s not forget about our friends to the East. I have made good on my first tier of matching money, and look forward to the next tier as we approach our goal.

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far.

In other related news: Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi who filmed the journey last year has applied for the grant money necessary to create the documentary. It will be called “One Problem”. We should see something before I begin delivering our underwear in the Spring.

Thanks All.

Brent

Here we go again!!!

Hello Everyone,

I was just looking at the Mustard Seeds list of urgently needed items on their Website…… Men’s underwear is NOT listed. This one item has been eliminated thanks to us. Congratulations. The situation is similar across the Country in at least 10 shelters.

Thanks again to everyone involved in last year’s run. It was a great success and I have pledged to try again this year. Last year we saw the delivery of 25 000 pairs of underwear (3000 lbs) to individuals from coast to coast. In doing so we managed to raise some awareness and make a small difference in a lot of lives. During the journey I discovered that homelessness was a complex issue that is often viewed as hopeless. In reality I believe it is actually the sum of many smaller problems, each one with a solution. I am certain that a few individuals focused on eliminating single problems can turn a complex situation like homelessness into a solvable problem. Keeping to this simple plan of solving one problem, I will again focus on men’s underwear.

Why underwear?
1. When faced with the difficulties of living on the street basic dignity is often lost
2. There is nothing more basic than clean underwear
3. The per unit cost is low therefore more people can be reached with a given donation.
4. Underwear is typically a high need item (often at the top of shelter wish lists)
5. Many people are reluctant to give Underwear as a donation
6. This small problem is solvable
This year, like last year, I pledge to:
- Annoy and pester my Friends, Family and Professional contacts for donations
- Purchase high quality product at the very best price
- Personally deliver the underwear to as many shelters as possible (10 major cities starting in Vancouver and moving east)
- Ensure that every dollar donated goes to the purchase of clean new underwear
- Keep you all informed of the progress as we move forward

Unlike last year I plan to:
- Provide 3 sizes L, XL, and XXL
- Increase the number of units per city to 3000 (more if donations allow)

To start us off I pledge to personally match the first $5 000.00 in Donations. I will follow with a further $5 000.00 lump donation if we reach a total of $25 000.00.

Remember every dollar counts, and every donor will receive a tax deductable receipt.

I hope you will all join me again this year.

Donations can be made 3 ways:

By Phone:
Contact the Mustard Seed 403 269 1319 tell them you would like to contribute to the GotGinch Underwear fund.

On Line:
https://www.theseed.ca/DonationForm.html be sure to indicate the donation is for the GotGinch Underwear Fund in the comments section

To Brent:
Cash, or Cheques, can be given to me directly and I will submit them for you.

The website is still active though not yet updated: www.gotclothing.ca
I hope to the see the documentary of last year’s journey completed in late winter.

Brent King
V.P. Operations
Tenet Medical Engineering
W 403 571 0750
F 403 571 0752
C 403 561 1558

End of the Road

Monday July 6

Those of you who know me have probably never heard me talk about this before. I am not a religious man. Although I don't subscribe to any specific religion, I have to acknowledge its presence on this journey. I acknowledge the deep faith present in the hearts of those working the shelters and I see its power as a catalyst to recovery. To me the most effective groups operate like businesses balanced by their belief. Ramin referred to them as businesses operated by angels. I can't say I disagree.

Thanks to every one who supported the run. Special thanks to all the shelters who opened their doors to us and who hold their doors open to those in need.

Brent

Halifax

Monday July 6

Homelessness is not as visible in Halifax says local musician Brendan Fraser. A transplanted Calgarian Brendon says "you don't see the panhandlers like you do in Calgary". Maybe it’s due to the good work of the Metro Turning Point Shelter. This shelter is a focused shelter supplying basic baseline shelter and belonging. Unlike other programs, Turning Point will not refuse access to those who are under the influence. Michael Poworoznyk (Prozzz) tells me that they focus on building trust and honesty. Once they break down those barriers they can focus on the underlying issues. Without that honesty you can’t begin to work with someone. Turning point then operates as a referral service, directing people to services that can help them. It's a little like triage for the less fortunate. I like the approach. It allows different groups to specialize rather than duplication of effort. It also fits well with my approach of focusing on one problem and dealing with it in an efficient manner.

Michael tells an amazing story of when he first came to Turning Point. This guy spent some time living amongst the guests of Turning Point. Without telling the other guests Michael quietly spent a night or two literally in their shoes. As the story goes he had borrowed a pair of beat up shoes from a friend so as to look the part. Unfortunately the shoes were a little small and quickly began hurting his feet. (Street people spend an enormous amount of time on the move) Another patron of the Mission offered Michael an extra pair of shoes that he had with him. A huge gesture. To the homeless shoes are like gold. This would be the equivalent of me offering to give a stranger my car.

Pretty moving stuff.

On the plane at 8 pm tonight. Time to let Westjet take the wheel.

Brent