Old bicycles and baseball mitts will allow about 85 kids in the Tri-Cities to play sports this spring and summer.
The biannual sale of used sporting equipment last Saturday, March 9, at Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam raised more than $24,000 for KidSport Tri-Cities, said organization director Chris Wilson.
The money helps families in need pay registration costs for their kids to participate in sports programs.
Wilson said almost 1,300 people took advantage of the cut-rate prices on gear from a potpourri of sports, like hockey, lacrosse, baseball, badminton and even cricket.
They also donated 550 pounds of food items and $1,163 in cash to the SHARE food bank.
“So much equipment kept out of the landfill,” Wilson said. “So many families saving a ton of money.”
Since its launch in 2005, KidSport has helped keep thousands of kids active in sports and connected to their community.
And with registration costs rising along with growing financial pressures like inflation straining household budgets, the need is never-ending, Wilson said.
“We have to constantly let people know what we do.”
Wilson said KidSport currently limits its subsidies to one sport per child every year, but he’d like to see that expand.
To help make that goal a reality, KidSport Tri-Cities has already set the date for its fall sale. It will occur Sept. 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Poirier Forum in Coquitlam.
