Gifts From Ryan Reynolds & Canada Goose

The wait came to an end on October 29.  At around 9:15am, a very large delivery of cardboard boxes of various sizes arrived at the school.  The boxes contained the clothing donations from Ryan Reynolds & Canada Goose.  It didn’t take long for word to spread.  The principal quickly recruited the high school students to bring all the boxes to the gym.  I grabbed my camera and quickly made my way there to document the event.  It’s not everyday the school receives gifts from a famous Canadian celebrity.

I didn’t realize how many boxes there were until I stepped onto the mezzanine overlooking the gym.  There were boxes everywhere!  The gym resembled a small warehouse.  All the tables in the equipment room had been brought out for the jackets and clothes.  Staff and students were already opening boxes and deciding where to put what.  The Baffin boots were being stacked against the walls according to size.  Tables were quickly designated for jackets, mitts, gloves, toques, and socks.  I went downstairs to get a closer look at the merchandise.

Nothing looked second-hand.  Everything looked brand new and was wrapped in plastic, except for the boots.  The newspaper articles said most of the clothing was refurbished, but I found that difficult to believe.  Seeing everything in pristine condition immediately made me think of the overall cost.  That information has not been disclosed and I doubt it ever will, but I can still estimate.  I only heard a rumour that the shipping cost alone was $17,000! 

Canada Goose & Baffin Boots clothing are not cheap.  The average starting cost of a Canada Goose jacket is $1000.  Based on that alone, the 300 jackets sent to us equals $300,000!  (It’s probably more than that).  Boots from Baffin cost around $250 per pair.  Same goes for Canada Goose gloves.  The toques are little cheaper at $125 each.  I think the cheapest items we received are the Baffin socks, which go for about $25 a pair.  My final estimate kept increasing as I walked around the gym, looking through all the boxes, and seeing everything on display.  My students were also wondering how much everything cost.  “All this stuff could easily be worth $1 million dollars,” I commented to my students.  “Thankfully, a man like Ryan Reynolds can afford that.  Unfortunately, we will never know.”

The gym was ready for business at 10am.  The large space now looked like a clothing store.  All the empty cardboard boxes were piled in the lobby outside the gym.  The pile resembled a very large cardboard fort.  The principal made arrangements for the boxes to be removed.  Classes would be brought down individually throughout the day to pick out what they wanted.  Each student was entitled to one jacket, toque, and one pair of boots, mitts/gloves, and socks.  And it’s all free!  Happily paid for by Canadian actor & celebrity Ryan Reynolds!

I continued teaching throughout the day, but I knew my students were mostly thinking about the clothes down at the gym.  They didn’t want to wait and were worried there would be nothing left by the time they were called down.  I reassured them that that would not be the case.  I got a sneak peek at what to expect when the bell rang for lunch.  I was walking to the Staff Room and saw many younger students smiling, wearing their new Canada Goose jackets & Baffin boots, and holding bags containing their old jackets & boots.  Some didn’t want to wear their jackets until they got home.

A high school student
shows off his chosen 
Canada Goose jacket.

High school students were called down to the gym near the end of the day.  Sure enough, there were still plenty of clothes to go around.  The students “shopped” for what they wanted.  The mural the high school art teacher painted for Canada’s 150^th birthday was on display, next to a large Thank You poster.  I watched items of clothing being selected, tried, accepted, or returned.  Students were required to see the hall monitor before leaving.  He had the attendance lists for all classes.  He checked off the students who came to the gym.  This was done to ensure fair distribution.  The high school students tried their best, but couldn’t hide their grins & smiles from becoming the proud owners of top-of-the-line winter clothing.  Keeping warm during the coming winter will be easy.

There were still plenty of clothes left when the dismissal bell rang.  The teachers moved the remaining donations into storage.  The students who were absent made their selections over the next few days.  I wondered if teachers would be allowed to take some things after all the students?  Only time will tell.

Canada Goose gloves.

Mr. Reynolds & Canada Goose: if you’re reading this, I would like to personally thank you again on behalf of myself, the staff & students of Inuujaq School, and the people of Arctic Bay, for donating warm outer clothing to the students of the school.  They really appreciate it.  Clothing is really expensive up here, like everything else, and your generosity will go a long way.  I know I said it in my last post, but if you have the time after the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re more than welcome to visit Inuujaq School & the community.  Take care.