7 Amazing Gift Ideas for Dads to Suit Any Budget

gift ideas for dads, man in closet
Coming up with a unique gift idea for Father’s Day requires a little imagination. And leaving dad’s gift shopping until the last minute rarely results in a gift that’s memorable.

Allow yourself enough time to really consider dad’s interests and passions when making a decision. Your gift will be much more likely to leave a lasting impression.

Another way to go is to consider gift ideas for dads that can help simplify their life.

Is dad always disorganized? Maybe the best gift you could give him is a way to stay organized better. It could be just the helping hand a messy dad needs.

7 unique gift ideas for dads

For budgets both big and small, here’s a list of seven special gift ideas for dads that are sure to be a hit at any time of the year.

1. A day driving an exotic or classic car

Has dad always dreamed of getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 Turbo, or Lamborghini Countach? Perhaps his dream car tastes lean more towards the classics, such as a vintage Mustang or a 1963 Corvette Stingray.

If these exotic and classic cars are a little out of dad’s price range or he just hasn’t wanted to commit to the ongoing care these amazing vehicles require, get him the next best thing.

Treat dad to a day (or two) behind the wheel of one of these majestic rides. Many companies rent out exotic and classic cars at reasonable rates.

Another option is to give dad the gift of a day at a racing school. With the assistance of an instructor, dad can scratch that itch for high speed driving without needing to worry about getting a speeding ticket.

2. A closet makeover

Does dad waste time every day trying to find things in his messy closet? Has it been a long time since his closet has had any attention paid to its interior layout?

It sounds like dad could benefit from a closet makeover.

A closet that’s always disorganized either has too many clothes in it, storage space not being maximized, or a combination of both.

The design consultants at Organized Interiors can come up with a creative closet design tailored exactly to how dad needs to use it. Every inch of a closet can be put to better use by utilizing its vertical space better.

Incorporating some of the following closet accessories will also enhance its usability for dad:

  • pullout shoe racks
  • pullout tie racks
  • retractable valet rods
  • pullout pant racks
  • pullout belt racks

A custom closet makeover will completely reinvent his closet space to help him get a lot more functionality out of it.

gift ideas for dads, clothes in closet

A closet makeover for dad makes it much easier for him to stay organized.

3. A different premium wine every month

When it comes to gift ideas for dads who love their wine, get the gift that keeps on giving every month. Sign up dad for a membership to one of the many wine of the month clubs you can find online.

But we’re not talking cheap wines in the $10 per bottle range. Look for a club that offers premium reds and whites that will really be a treat for dad. The wines chosen for these clubs are carefully selected and typically award-winning.

A gift of premium wines delivered right to your door 12 times a year always gives dad a little something extra to look forward to. He’ll also get introduced to many fine wines he otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try.

4. New headphones

Does your father or husband love music? If so, a high quality pair of headphones is a must.

Nowadays, a lot of us listen to our music on speakers that don’t provide as immersive a listening experience as a good pair of headphones will. And heaven forbid that dad is regularly listening to his tunes through his smartphone’s tinny-sounding speaker.

The headphone market offers more choices and as good a quality of products as there’s ever been. Bose, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, Beats, and many other high quality brands provide some great options.

Wireless headphones are all the rage and will cost a little more. If dad isn’t planning on using his headphones while exercising or working in the yard, go with wired headphones (dad will also have one less thing to charge).

For just $100 or less, you can pick up a pair of wired AKG K240 professional studio quality headphones that dad will love. These headphones have been around for decades for a reason. If they’re good enough for Bruce Springsteen (who’s used them when recording albums), they’re good enough for dear ol’ dad!

5. A virtual personal assistant

gift ideas for dads, Amazon EchoTechnology plays more of a role in our lives than ever before. One of the primary functions of technology is to make our lives easier and a virtual personal assistant does just that.

These handy devices are known by other names, such as smart speakers and voice assistants. The most popular choices available are the Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, Google Home, and the Sonos One.

Dad can use these devices to get the weather or traffic report, sports scores, important reminders, listen to podcasts, help him with a recipe, order a pizza, or about a million other things.

The gift of a virtual personal assistant makes this one of the more convenience-minded gift ideas for dads you can choose.

6. A stylish watch

A fine timepiece never goes out of style. A stylish watch makes a great gift idea for dad, especially if he really appreciates the craftsmanship that goes into a higher quality timepiece.

You can’t go wrong with luxury brands like Rolex, Victorinox, Hamilton, Oris, or Eterna. For smaller scale budgets, MVMT watches are very trendy right now and deliver great quality at an affordable price.

If you have a bigger budget to work with and know dad is more partial to classic watches, explore the wide variety of vintage watches available. Going this route can get expensive in a hurry, though. This 1984 vintage Rolex, for example, will run you a whopping $9,200 (U.S.).

If dad’s luxury watch collection is already big enough and he needs to keep it organized and maintained, watch winders are a practical gift.  Ask us about our selection of Orbita watch winders.

7. The garage of dad’s dreams

The last of our gift ideas for dads involves a space that may very well be his favourite room in the house – the garage.

If dad loves spending time in the garage tinkering away, there’s plenty of incentive to make the space more comfortable and inviting.

A poorly lit, cluttered, drab garage space can be completely transformed into an area of your home that is truly an extension of your living space.

Adding upgrades like a fresh polyaspartic floor coating, garage cabinets, and slatwall storage will make any garage more aesthetically pleasing and a lot more functional (for dad and the entire family).

Talk to Garage Living, who specialize in designing dream garages and have completed thousands of successful makeovers throughout North America.

gift ideas for dads, blue car in garage

A garage makeover for dad creates a clean and organized home space for the entire family..

Gift ideas for dads that will put a smile on his face

You can’t go wrong with any of these seven gift ideas for dads, regardless of the time of year you’re buying for him.

For the gifts that need a little more planning (like getting a custom closet), remember to leave yourself enough time to get dad’s gift ready.

If getting dad’s closet organized sounds like a great gift idea, schedule a free in-home design consultation with us to plan his closet makeover. And if you’d prefer to keep dad’s gift a surprise, we can do the consultation in our showroom.

See also:

The 7 Home Features Buyers Want the Most

home features buyers want house exterior
A home improvement project should upgrade your house with features that add convenience and extra functionality to your living space.

Too many homeowners, however, make the mistake of not adding home features buyers want the most when it comes time to sell their house.

It’s natural for anyone to look more to a home improvement project’s impact on their family’s life over the next 5, 10, or 15 years.

While you’ll get plenty of use out of the home upgrades over that period, casting an eye towards the future should also be a factor in your renovation decisions as well.

Choose home features buyers want and need

Certain renovation projects have a poor return on investment that can significantly affect the back-end value of your expenditure. Experts agree that for potential buyers, these renovations don’t add value to a home:

  • removing closets
  • converting the garage into a living space
  • adding a sunroom
  • turning a spare room into a home theatre
  • adding a pool

These remodeling projects are considered too niche or just not practical for the average homebuyer.

And the first two examples completely go against the second-most important factor that goes into a homebuyer’s decision – available storage space. Not surprisingly, a home’s location was the most important factor.

Do your research to find out which home improvement projects provide a good balance of fulfilling an everyday need and will also be desirable in the eyes of anyone home shopping years from now.

7 of the home features buyers want the most

Certain home features buyers want the most virtually never change.

At the top of that list is storage space. Garage parking space and updates to kitchens and bathrooms also consistently rank highly with buyers.

We’ve looked at numerous studies, surveys, polls, and expert opinions to come up with a list of seven of the home features buyers want the most when they’re searching for a house.

1. Walk-in closet

A recent extensive Canadian Home Builders Association study found that a walk-in closet was the most valued asset of the 3,000 homebuyers surveyed.

A Braun Research survey of 500 realtors found that 97% of them said their clients valued closet storage space more than attic and basement storage space. And a 2013 National Association of Realtors survey shows that a walk-in closet in the master bedroom was the second-most important feature to homebuyers.

For many buyers, a large walk-in closet (also known as a dressing room) is an absolute essential. The absence of one may very well prove to be a dealbreaker for them.

A spacious walk-in closet doesn’t just provide a lot more space to store your clothes (although that’s one of its best benefits). They also:

  • provide a private, relaxing space for getting prepared or unwinding after a long day
  • make it easier to manage your wardrobe and keep it organized (saving you time)
  • provide a stylish and elegant space to showcase your wardrobe and accessories
home features buyers want walk-in closet

A walk-in closet (also known as a dressing room) is considered one of the most essential features for homebuyers.

2. Energy efficiency

The 2017 Canadian Homebuyer Preference National Study shows that better energy efficiency is another of the top home features buyers want and will pay more for.

That Canadian Home Builders Association study also cited energy efficiency as one of the most desired home features for buyers.

This can include everything from a home having energy-efficient appliances, energy-efficient lighting, and modern windows and doors that will keep hydro bills lower. More energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems are also valued by homebuyers.

Buyers also place a higher priority nowadays on how well insulated a home is. Are the attic, garage, and the rest of the home outfitted with high-efficiency insulation that’s actually been properly installed to deliver the best energy efficiency?

3. Master bathroom

Whether or not a home has a master bathroom is another important factor for many buyers. A master bathroom is defined as a bathroom with a sink, bathtub, and shower that is accessible from the largest bedroom (also known as a “master bedroom”).

The terminology for this room can vary. Some people may refer to it as an “ensuite master bathroom” or simply “ensuite”. It can also be written as “en-suite” (just to make things even more confusing).

When referring to bathrooms and bedrooms, you can expect to hear less usage of the word “master” in the coming years, however. Homebuilders and realtors are phasing it out due to the word’s negative gender and racial connotations.

Bathroom features buyers are looking for most are a custom bathroom vanity/makeup area, two sinks, and a separate shower enclosure. Forward-thinking buyers in their forties and fifties want the latter, in part because they’re considering its ease of use a couple of decades down the line.

Surprisingly, linen closets topped the list of the most desirable bathroom features for new home buyers surveyed in 2013 by the National Association of Home Builders.

4. Two-car garage

For both older homes and newly constructed homes, two-car garages are another feature buyers consider essential. 80% of buyers factor in the garage when making their decision, according to an Impulse Research survey.

And while that Braun Research survey found that 97% of buyers valued closet space more than attic and basement storage space, the garage ranked a close second. Realtors surveyed said that 96% of buyers valued the garage over the attic and basement as a home storage space.

Garages provide valuable storage space not just for tools and items there’s no room for elsewhere in your home, they also allow you to park vehicles indoors. That protects your sizeable investment in your vehicles.

There’s also the convenience of parking indoors. That’s why 55% of homeowners use the garage as their house’s main entryway, according to a Chamberlain Group study.

Garage makeovers are also a hot home improvement trend. As Garage Living’s Linda Fiore Ceolin explains it, “There is so much potential in every garage space, large or small. More homeowners have realized the importance of upgrading their garage to make it a beautiful, functional extension of their living space.”

home features buyers want 2 cars

96% of homebuyers view the garage as a more valuable storage space in a house than the attic and basement.

5. Hardwood floors

The National Association of Realtors survey shows that just over half of homebuyers are willing to pay more for wood floors. The main reasons are its contemporary look, durability, and how much easier wood floors are to clean than carpeting. 

Hardwood is most preferred, especially original hardwood flooring found in older houses, which can be a real home seller. Authentic hardwood flooring is easier to refinish compared to engineered wood flooring. It should also theoretically last a lifetime. 

Engineered wood flooring is less expensive and not as durable as original wood flooring. However, it does nicely replicate the look of hardwood with a hardwood veneer over layered fibreboard and structural plywood.

A higher percentage of homebuyers under the age of 54 looks for a house with wood floors than older buyers. This is attributed to the fact that older generations tend to find carpeting a little cozier and warmer than wood floors.

6. Laundry room

Look at a variety of studies and surveys on the home features buyers want most and a dedicated laundry room will assuredly rank highly on most of them.

In fact, last year’s report from the National Association of Home Builders on the home features buyers desire most had “a separate laundry room” at number one.

92% of buyers surveyed considered a laundry room essential. An increasing number of homebuilders agree and are incorporating laundry rooms into their building designs.  

Those in the aged 35 to 54 demographic placed a high priority on having a laundry room. Millennials especially favour owning a laundry room, preferably upstairs close to a bedroom or on the main floor, off the kitchen. Space-saving stacked washers and dryers are also popular with younger generations.

Laundry rooms are considered a must-have feature for many buyers because of the convenience and high functionality they add to homes. A dedicated space to take care of all of the ironing, sorting, folding and other tasks that go along with laundry duty helps to simplify and speed up the process.

Second floor laundry room.

7. Modern/open concept kitchen

Concluding our list of the home features buyers want most is the open concept kitchen. Once again, younger buyers favour open concept kitchen designs more than baby boomers.

The Canadian Home Builders Association reports that 85-90% of consumers in Ontario and the Toronto area prefer this more modern type of kitchen design.

An open concept kitchen that includes a kitchen island and inclusive eating area is also considered an attractive selling feature, particularly to buyers with kids. 

Realtors and designers widely agree that modern kitchen updates yield better returns come resale time than a bathroom remodel.

Additional modern kitchen upgrades that appeal to homebuyers include:

  • double kitchen sinks
  • high-quality stainless steel appliances
  • walk-in pantry
  • granite, marble, or quartz countertops
  • stylish cabinetry with modern hardware

Do you have the home features buyers want most?

Is your home keeping up with the modern design trends that can make your life more comfortable and pay off when you sell your home?

Organized Interiors specializes in bespoke home organization and storage solutions for the entire home. We can improve your living space with many of the home features buyers want and need the most.

Sit down with us to discuss your aspirations for improving your home’s interior by scheduling a free in-home design consultation.

See also:

Top 7 Canadian Wines You Need To Try

Canadian wines in a wine cellar
When you think of the countries who produce some of the world’s finest wines, names like Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal immediately come to mind.

Canadian wines may not have the history or prestige that the top winemakers from those countries have, but we do produce many outstanding varieties of wine. Obviously, Canadian icewines are now world-renowned.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Canadian wine industry:

  • Canada and Germany are the world’s largest icewine producers
  • approximately 75% of Canada’s icewine is produced in Ontario
  • in 2016, Canadian bottled wine exports were valued at $34.7 million (icewine accounted for 55% of that)
  • the wine and grape industry is responsible for more than 37,000 Canadian jobs
  • between 2011 and 2015, the national economic impact of the Canadian wine industry grew from $6.8 billion to $9 billion (a 33% increase)

7 Canadian wines that won’t disappoint

Clearly, our wine industry is robust and Canadian wines are receiving more and more international attention for their high quality.

We thought we’d spotlight just a few of the fine Canadian wines you owe it to yourself to try at least once.

2012 Limestone Vineyard Pinot NoirRedstone Winery

Ontario’s Redstone Winery was named Winery of the Year at the 2017 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. That’s an impressive achievement for one of the relatively newer Canadian wineries.

Redstone’s sustainably farmed 38-acre estate vineyard in Beamsville (located between Hamilton and St. Catharines) produces award-winning Chardonnays, Rieslings, and Rosés.

Last month’s issue of Vintages magazine recommended Redstone’s 2012 Limestone Vineyard Pinot Noir ($25), citing its “elegant floral, raspberry, and wood spice notes”.

2014 Reserve MerlotMission Hill Family Estate Winery

B.C.’s Mission Hill Family Estate Winery helped put Canada on the international wine map when they took home the Best Chardonnay in the World award at the 1993 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

More recently, their 2011 Martin’s Lane Pinot Noir won the top award in the under £15 category at 2013’s Decanter World Wine Awards. Even more impressive is the fact they were competing against 14,000 other wines. That same year, Mission Hill was named the Canadian Winery of the Year at the National Wine Awards.

Earlier this year, respected Canadian wine publication Vintage Assessments recommended Mission Hill’s 2014 Reserve Merlot ($30).

2014 Okanagan Riesling IcewineInniskillin Wines

Inniskillin Wines, Ontario’s first icewine maker, is Canada’s largest icewine maker and exporter. Based in Niagara-on-the-Lake with a second winery in B.C., Inniskillin might be best known for their superb icewines, but icewines actually only account for about 10% of the winery’s annual output,

One of the most internationally well-known Canadian wineries, Inniskillin also attracts more than 250,000 tourists to their wineries each year.

Icewine lovers can’t go wrong with Inniskillin’s 2014 Okanagan Riesling Icewine ($53). It was a Silver Medal Winner at last year’s WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada.

Burrowing Owl 2014 Cabernet SauvignonBurrowing Owl Estate Winery

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery was started in 1993 in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley wine region.

Considered one of the leading Canadian wine wineries, Burrowing Owl Estate recently picked up awards for several of their 2014-2016 vintages at the 2017 National Wine Awards of Canada.

One of those award-winning wines is Burrowing Owl’s 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon ($46).

2012 Cuvée Catharine Estate Blanc de BlancHenry of Pelham Winery

Henry of Pelham Winery produced their first vintage in 1988, in the early days of Niagara’s wine production. The winery produces an assortment of well-regarded red and white wines, as well as various icewines.

Toronto Life magazine praised their 2015 Chardonnay Estate ($20) as “one of the LCBO’s best bottles of Ontario wine”. Just last week, the Toronto Star spotlighted the winery’s 2015 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir ($25) on a list of recommended wines for Easter dinner.

Sparkling wines are another award-winning specialty of the winery. Henry of Pelham’s 2012 Cuvée Catharine Estate Blanc de Blanc ($45) was a Gold Award winner at the 2017 All Canadian Wine Championships.

2015 Boswell SyrahQuails’ Gate Winery

Founded in 1956, B.C.’s Quails’ Gate Winery produces more than 50,000 cases of wine each year and is one of the most well-known Canadian wineries.

At the 2017 National Wine Awards of Canada, Quails’ Gate was named sixth on a list of Canada’s top 25 wineries.
Five Quails’ Gate wines also collected awards.

A November 2017 Globe and Mail article also singled out the winery’s 2015 Boswell Syrah ($55) as one of B.C.’s top red wines.

2015 Small Lot Wood Post RieslingThirty Bench Wine Makers

Celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, Thirty Bench Wine Makers is another Niagara-area winemaker receiving great acclaim for their premium wines. Here are a few recent awards they’ve received:

  • runner-up as Canada’s top winery at the 2017 National Wine Awards of Canada
  • Thirty Bench winemaker Emma Garner named “Winemaker of the Year” at 2015’s Ontario Wine Awards
  • “Best Performing Small Winery in Canada” award at 2015 National Wine Awards of Canada

Thirty Bench’s award-winning 2015 Small Lot Wood Post Riesling ($30) is one big reason for the winery’s popularity and high regard among Canadian wines.

Store the finest Canadian wines in style

If you’re someone who appreciates some of the top Canadian wines, you’re clearly someone who appreciates the finer things in life.

And fine wine deserves to be stored in the highest quality custom wine cabinetry available. Organized Interiors specializes in wine cabinetry designs that provide a stylish home for wine collections of all sizes.

If you’re looking for a more upscale wine storage solution for your wine collection, schedule a free in-home design consultation with us.

See also:

Get Inspired With the Brand New Organized Interiors Idea Book

Idea Book
Organized Interiors is pleased to announce the launch of our brand new Idea Book, which is loaded with inspirational organization and storage ideas for your home.

The new Organized Interiors Idea Book features all of the great products and services we offer. You’ll find lots of new vivid images, including many photos featuring projects in our customers’ homes.

The Idea Book includes informative descriptions that list the benefits, features, and options for each of our products. This helps you get a better sense of what each product offers so you can make a more informed buying decision.

Make space for living with our new Idea Book

And there’s a lot more to love with the new Idea Book! Our last edition was 48 pages, while the just-released Idea Book has expanded to 72 packed pages of inspiring content.

This growth reflects the evolution of our product line and how Organized Interiors continuously strives to make our high quality products even better, while offering our customers more choices. Examples include our new MONOGRAM custom cabinetry and new products like a pullout folding shelf and the SlimStep ladder.

We take great pride in this forward-thinking approach and believe it’s one of the reasons Organized Interiors continues to be a respected leader in our industry.

Your brand new Idea Book shows everything Organized Interiors carries to help you make space for living. Here are the different product and service categories you’ll find inside.

Closet organizers, custom closet cabinetry, and dressing rooms

After more than 40 years of of transforming our clients’ closet spaces, the dedicated professionals at Organized Interiors have turned closet organization into an art. Our closet designs look great and, naturally, will maximize your storage space and help you to keep your closets organized.

Our closet organization products include:

  • SMART|LINE – a modular off-the-floor closet organizer that easily adapts to your changing storage needs
  • CLASSIC – a floor-support closet organizer with a wider range of depths to maximize storage space
  • MONOGRAM – our new collection of custom cabinetry for dressing rooms/walk-in closets that allows for ample design flexibility to reflect your personal style
  • create-a-closet® – add extra closet space anywhere you need with this innovative storage concept
  • Closet doors – choose from our many styles of sliding, bifold, solid panel and mirror closet doors

Bedroom storage

In addition to our custom closet solutions, Organized Interiors specializes in custom-built products for the entire bedroom:

  • Wardrobes – a custom-fit wardrobe adds a stylish appeal to your bedroom and effectively complements your closets with additional storage space
  • Bed surrounds – this integrated furniture piece uses under-bed storage, nightstands, and additional space for storage to keep any bedroom neat and tidy
  • Murphy beds – our custom Murphy beds (also known as wall beds) are a practical space-saving bedding solution that are ideal for small condos and guest rooms

Feature walls and electric fireplaces

It’s easier and cheaper to add an electric fireplace or electric firebox to your home than it is to add a wood-burning fireplace.

Electric fireplaces also require virtually no maintenance, function as a cost-effective supplemental heating solution, and feature incredibly realistic-looking flames.

The new Organized Interiors Idea Book also shows you how incorporating an electric fireplace into a feature wall can create an incredible home showpiece.

Custom cabinetry for the entire home

Organized Interiors’ custom cabinetry solutions for your entire home include:

  • Home offices and study spaces – we can design a home office or study space that looks fantastic, is precisely tailored to accommodate your work needs, and improves your workspace functionality
  • Bathrooms – our custom vanity, makeup table, and master ensuite designs for your bathroom allow you to create a personal, private space with many storage options
  • Laundry rooms and mudrooms – upgrade your laundry room or mudroom’s looks and functionality with custom cabinetry that enables better storage management
  • Kitchens – our custom kitchen cabinetry solutions include coffee stations, kitchen sideboards, and hutches
  • Hobby rooms – make space for your creativity by having a special room designed to indulge in your hobbies
  • Wine cellars – our stylish custom wine cabinetry allows you to store your wine collection properly
  • Wet bars – a minibar or full-size bar can be built to your exact specifications and custom-fits to your home’s space
  • Entertainment units – create a dynamic-looking and highly functional home media centre that enhances your viewing experience

Decorative hardware and closet accessories

You can personalize your custom cabinetry with our huge selection of hundreds of types of decorative hardware (or “Artware”, as we like to call it).

You’ll also find lots of photos in the Idea Book showcasing Organized Interiors’ wide variety of closet accessories including:

  • Jewellery drawers and drawer safes
  • Shoe pullouts
  • Valet rods
  • Pullout ironing boards
  • Pullout belt racks and tie racks

Showroom

Browse through our inspiring 10,000 square foot showroom, which features beautiful displays showcasing all of our products. Getting a hands-on experience with our home organization and storage products will really give you a sense for:

  • The creativity of our talented design consultants
  • The expert craftsmanship that goes into Organized Interiors’ custom cabinetry, which is manufactured on-site
  • The high quality of materials we use to assure our products have a long life
  • Our products’ smooth, easy-to-use functionality (like our soft-close drawers and doors)

How we work

The Idea Book explains our full-service process for each of our customers’ projects:

  1. During the free in-home consultation, our designers and the client develop a personalized plan for the project
  2. Our design consultants bring the project to life by designing to the exact organizational needs of the client
  3. The project’s products are custom-manufactured on-site at Organized Interiors
  4. Your project is installed by our professional installers

All of Organized Interiors’ products come with a 10-year warranty that covers defects in material and hardware, along with a one-year no-hassle installation warranty.

Download or pick up your free Idea Book

Your free Organized Interiors Idea Book can be downloaded here.

If you’d prefer a hard copy, visit our showroom to pick up your complimentary copy of the new Idea Book, which features upgraded binding and a new soft-touch cover.

See also:

Organized Interiors Participating in the 2017 Winter Coat Drive

winter coat drive
Having enough warm winter clothing becomes especially concerning around this time of year and into the winter. We’ve had some especially frigid winters in Ontario in recent years, which places extra emphasis on the need for warm winter clothing for children.

The Children’s Breakfast Club began their Winter Coat Drive in 2014 to address the need of getting warm winter clothing to those who need it. Organized Interiors is proud to once again be participating with them in their 2017 Winter Coat Drive.

About The Children’s Breakfast Club

The Children’s Breakfast Club is a non-profit charitable organization that began in 1984. They believe every child is entitled to a nutritious breakfast and currently have more than 20 clubs in the Greater Toronto Area that serve an estimated 4,000 meals per week.

The Children’s Breakfast Club’s other main objectives are to:

  • encourage children to develop healthy nutritional, behavioural, and personal hygiene habits
  • provide children with emotional support and social and intellectual stimulation
  • encourage and develop the skills of staff, volunteers, and other community members

What is the Winter Coat Drive?

The Winter Coat Drive collects and distributes new and gently-used winter clothing to children and their families in need of proper winter attire. Specifically, the organization states that “Our overall vision for the 2017 Winter Coat Drive is to ensure no child in Ontario is cold this winter season.”

2015’s Winter Coat Drive collected more than 30,000 items of winter clothing and last year that number grew to more than 40,000 pieces collected. This year’s goal is to collect 50,000 clean, good quality, gently-used coats and items of winter clothing in child and adult sizes.

All donations end up at The Children’s Breakfast Club’s Coat Warehouse in North York, which operates throughout the winter season. Toronto Police will hand out vouchers to families they encounter who are most in need of this winter clothing. The vouchers can then be redeemed by the family members for a winter coat or item of clothing they’re most in need of.

Organized Interiors’ involvement in the Winter Coat Drive

The 2017 Winter Coat Drive will be Organized Interiors’ second year of participation in this worthy cause. Our participation in the 2016 Winter Coat Drive was inspired by Toronto’s very own NBA All-Star, Toronto Raptor Alumni, and Assistant Coach and Community Ambassador Jamaal Magloire. Jamaal challenged all of Toronto to “Donate a Coat” and “Warm a Heart”.

More than four truckloads of coats and winter clothing were collected at Vaughan’s first drop-off centre in the Organized Interiors showroom. The donated items were promptly delivered to the Coat Warehouse to ensure those that needed the items got them as soon as possible.

Organized Interiors wishes to thank the following people for helping to make the 2016 Coat Drive such a great success:

  • our valued new and repeat customers
  • our trade partners The Neat Freak for their generous donation of 160 linear feet of coat racks and coat hangers that will help Coat Warehouse volunteers sort and store donations
  • Gloria DiLecce and the staff from Michael Luisi Couture for their support and donations
  • our corporate neighbours at Garage Living and Better Living Products for their participation and support
  • Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua for visiting the Organized Interiors showroom and bringing attention to the Winter Coat Drive
  • Organized Interiors’ Design Consultants and enthusiastic staff for spreading the word to raise awareness about the Coat Drive
  • the Jamaal Magloire Foundation, which improves the lives of at-risk youth through the power of sport
winter coat drive mannequins drop-off centre

The drop-off centre in Organized Interiors’ showroom for 2016’s Winter Coat Drive.

How you can help

You can get involved by making donations for the 2017 Winter Coat Drive at the Coat Drive drop-off centre in the Organized Interiors showroom at 201 Chrislea Road in Vaughan.

Along with new and gently-used winter coats, we’ll also be gratefully accepting donations of any of the following (in all sizes) between November and March:

  • hoodies
  • sweaters
  • hats
  • mitts and gloves
  • scarves

Donations can also be made directly at The Children’s Breakfast Club’s Coat Warehouse, which is located at The Peanut Plaza at 3030 Don Mills Road. Call (437) 836-6222 to make coat drop-off arrangements. Monetary donations can also be made at breakfastclubs.ca (a tax receipt will be issued for donations of $20 or more).

You can also help by spreading the word to your family, friends, and co-workers about the 2017 Winter Coat Drive. Be sure to share this blog post on your social media pages!

Donate a coat and warm a heart

Warm winter clothing is something most of us take for granted. But consider the ways in which inadequate winter clothing can impact a child’s daily life.

Inadequate winter clothing can cause kids to get sick more often, which may affect their school attendance. Unsuitable winter clothing also limits the ability of children to participate in outdoor winter activities.

Your generous donation can help make this winter a little more comfortable for someone in need. We look forward to seeing you at our 2017 Winter Coat Drive drop-off centre in our showroom!