An idea rooted in environmental sustainability and affordability has blossomed into a new social enterprise for the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC).
BNRC recently launched Mobility Renewal with $100,000 received from the province for an initiative that collects gently used medical equipment and resells it at a fraction of its original cost.
“We’re looking at taking in short-term items, including crutches, walkers or bigger items, including wheelchairs that people cannot afford at their normal prices,” said BNRC executive director Karra Burney.
The current plan is to combine three donated items, such as wheelchairs, into one finished product for sale. However, BNRC hopes to build more partnerships in the future so that each piece of equipment received can eventually be refurbished and resold.
The items would then be sold for approximately 20 per cent of their original retail price. However, Creation Nation Makerspace co-ordinator Tim Daigle said those unable to afford the cost can volunteer with the organization to cover the remaining amount.
“Our makerspace has the ability to do some teaching, and then that teaching can come into the working part. So if somebody couldn’t pay for a whole item, we’re looking at different ways to do that where they could come in and help sort through a box of donated items, help categorize them, help with pricing. It depends on their limitations as well.”
While BNRC believes it may have created Canada’s first social enterprise focused on reselling gently used medical equipment, Daigle said the initiative comes with some challenges.
“It’s like we’re filling a balloon and we want to see how big it gets before it pops, at least in the collection phase of things, because we don’t know what’s going to come in or how much of what’s gonna come in.”
He added that the organization is still determining its storage needs, collection limits and how to build partnerships within the community.
“Where do the end stops need to be? What are the storage requirements? How do we integrate other parts of BNRC and the community, and where can those relationships do the most good?”
Despite the challenges, Burney said there are opportunities for the initiative to grow beyond Brandon and potentially expand across Canada.
“Other organizations or groups across the country could pick this up and even do it bigger than we can.”
BNRC is currently focused on collecting and stockpiling gently used medical equipment, with plans to begin reselling items before the end of the year.
The long-term goal is to expand Mobility Renewal into an operation that employs multiple people to refurbish medical equipment year-round.
