A Whitehorse thrift store donated $75,000 to the Yukon Hospital Foundation

A Whitehorse thrift store has donated $75,000 to the Whitehorse General Hospital through the Yukon Hospital Foundation.

Noticing their bank account growth, thelocal Whitehorse thrift store asked where the financial surplus might be best directed, and Whitehorse General Hospital emerged as an answer.

"We needed to give away a larger sum of money, which is a really lovely problem to have," said Joie Quarton, the board president of the Whitehorse Community Thrift Store.

A couple of years ago, the non-profit launched a program called Sharing Our Successand began accepting applications from across the Yukon to redistribute their financial surplus. The profits are generated through sales at a storefront downtown.

"We decided that we would talk with the hospital and see what they needed and they gave us a number of options," Quarton said.

They settled on an ultrasound machine for the maternity ward.

Quarton spoke to their unique position of being a non-profit with a profitable storefront. Aside from a volunteer board, they have a store manager, a couple of staff, and a whole lot of volunteers.

Karen Forward is the president of the Yukon Hospital Foundation which helps fundraise for the hospital. There is always a gap, she said, "when it comes to keeping up with technology."

"Gifts like this type of technology helps to encourage healthcare staff to come to the Yukon."

Forward also spoke to recent years being tough for health care across the country and such donations being quite meaningful for hospital workers.

Over the past two years, until now, the thrift store hasdonated $25,000 annually to organizations like the Guild Hall, Watson Lake Disc Golf, and more.