Start off the new semester with stylish and affordable clothing while contributing to a great cause this weekend.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona in partnership with Buffalo Exchange is hosting their semi-annual $1 Clothing Sale on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23 at the HSSA’s Main Campus parking lot, according to the HSSA’s website.
“We personally have raised over $10,000 with our sales in the last couple of years. So it’s a great way for us to partner with the community when we do the sale. It’s a great way for people to come out and get some amazing clothes at a great price,” said Leeanna Phillips, the HSSA’s event manager.
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The partnership between the HSSA and Buffalo Exchange has been ongoing since around 2016, according to Phillips.
“When we started our Clothing for the Community program, we thought it would be great to extend that to our local community here in Tucson. Our history of working with the Humane Society [nationally] laid the perfect foundation for collaborating with HSSA. The HSSA team has always been great to work with,” said Jessica Pruitt, the associate marketing manager for Buffalo Exchange, via email.
Due to the pandemic, the HSSA have made changes to their event protocols and their services.
“Masks are required and sanitation takes place throughout the sale. HSSA actually developed these protocols and they’ve been incredibly successful so far,” Pruitt said in an email.
For this $1 Clothing Sale, guests are required to register for an open time slot to shop in order to help limit the number of people at the event due to COVID-19, according to the HSSA’s website.
“In 2019, you didn’t register, you just showed up, and we’d have 200 to 300 people here at any point and it was a lot of fun then, but that can’t happen nowadays,” Phillips said. “We’re limited to 50 people coming for each time slot.”
During the $1 Clothing Sale, guests can purchase from an array of clothing provided by Buffalo Exchange, according to the HSSA’s website.
“You can find some pretty incredible deals on summer shorts and skirts, men’s and women’s jeans, blouses, button-ups and winter jackets all at once,” Pruitt said in an email.
All of the proceeds raised from the sale directly benefit the HSSA, according to Phillips.
“It all goes to animals. We have the Second Chance Medical Fund. If we bring in an animal that needs a little bit of extra medical attention and they need to stay with us, that’s where that extra money goes. We have a fund that’s called the Century Club Fund. So, if an animal has been here over 100 days, that club helps offset their adoption fees to make them more likely to be adopted,” Phillips said.
Unlike other government-funded animal shelters, the HSSA is a local non-profit organization.
“The difference between us and say, Pima Animal Care Center, which is your government-funded facility, is that we don’t get any sort of outside funding. So, we do fundraisers like the Buffalo Exchange sale in order to help continue on our efforts,” said Caitlin McCurry, the HSSA’s event lead.
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In case guests can’t attend the $1 Clothing Sale, the HSSA hosts a variety of events to help raise money for animals, such as the ongoing 50/50 raffle.
“It’s $5 for one ticket, $25 for six or $50 for 13. When we draw it on Sept. 19, the winner will get half of the proceeds. So it’s great that you could maybe win something and then we get some money back too,” Phillips said.
The HSSA continues to work with community partners, such as Buffalo Exchange in hopes of creating a better future for pets.
“It can be hard to just donate money at this point. So, this is a great way for you to get something that you need and to feel like you’re supporting our animals at the same time,” Phillips said.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona Main Campus is located at 635 W. Roger Road. For more information about the HSSA and their events, call 520-327-6088 or visit https://hssaz.org.
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