What Soap For Hope Canada does

Soap For Hope Canada is a registered Canadian charity (registration number 76991 2676 RR0001) founded in 2015 and headquartered at 426 William Street, Victoria, BC. The organization's core operation is a hotel-to-community repurposing pipeline: it collects surplus hygiene products, retired linens, and unclaimed Lost & Found items from 60+ hotel partners (nearly 9,000 rooms across British Columbia and Alberta, including Fairmont Empress, Four Seasons Whistler, Delta Ocean Pointe, and Accent Inns), processes them in a warehouse (sorting, squeezing, filling, washing, and folding), and distributes the repurposed goods to 550+ Community Facilities including shelters, schools, food banks, transitional housing, and outreach programs serving seniors, low-income families, homeless individuals, refugees, Indigenous communities, and people in disaster evacuation centres.

The organization's technology is operational and physical rather than digital: the proprietary "Hygiene Product Repurposing Process" extends the usable life of hotel amenities, and a handcrafted soap product (Salish Sea Soap Pebbles) is produced from organic factory soap cuts in partnership with NatuR&D. The charity also operates Canada's First Hygiene Poverty Survey, covering 47 community facilities and 110,272 vulnerable people, which establishes the evidence base for the hygiene poverty sector.

Revenue is generated through four streams: tiered monthly donor subscriptions (The Fresh Start at $25, $40, and $100 per month); social enterprise sales via the Second Hand Hope physical thrift store, e-commerce site (secondhandhope.ca), and seasonal Market Square pop-ups; in-kind hotel supply (non-cash); and securities donations facilitated through the Victoria Foundation. The organization is led by Founder and Executive Director C. Anne McIntyre, supported by a small paid team of 1–10 employees and a network of 150+ active volunteers, with governance from a Board of Directors including Secretary Marvelee Papaloukas and Director Michael Scott Curnes.

Name

Soap For Hope Canada

Legal name

Soap for Hope Canada

Website

https://soapforhopecanada.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soap For Hope Canada is a Victoria-based registered charity that collects surplus hygiene products, linens, and Lost & Found items from 60+ hotels across BC and Alberta, repurposes them in a warehouse, and distributes them to 550+ Community Facilities serving vulnerable populations including seniors, families, and homeless individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Hygiene Distribution Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Linen Supply (812331)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC), WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI)

Keywords

• Hygiene poverty alleviation
• Hotel surplus repurposing
• Donated hygiene distribution
• Social enterprise thrift retail
• Community facility partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Donations (The Fresh Start): Recurring monthly donations from individual donors at tiered levels ($25, $40, $100/month). Provides predictable, unrestricted funding enabling operational planning and year-round distribution.
2. Social Enterprise Sales: Revenue from Second Hand Hope thrift store (physical and online), Salish Sea Soap Pebbles, Organic Soap Bundles, and rags. All proceeds reinvest into operations. Products sold via own e-commerce site (secondhandhope.ca) and physical retail locations.
3. Hotel Partner Donations (in-kind supply): Hotels donate surplus hygiene products, retired linens, and lost & found items, providing the raw material supply for the repurposing operation at no cost, reducing input costs and enabling the social enterprise model.
4. Securities Donations: Donations of publicly traded securities via the Victoria Foundation, which passes through the full value to Soap For Hope Canada, providing tax-advantaged giving for donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Soap For Hope Canada collects surplus and gently used hygiene products, linens, and lost & found items from hotel partners, processes them at its Victoria warehouse (sorting, washing, folding), and distributes the repurposed items to a network of 550+ Community Facilities serving vulnerable populations in BC and Alberta. The charity operates social enterprises (Second Hand Hope thrift store, Salish Sea Soap Pebbles, Organic Soap Bundles, and Rags) to generate unrestricted revenue that funds the mission.

Product overview

Soap For Hope Canada operates as a charity focused on eradicating hygiene poverty through an integrated portfolio of social enterprises and programs. The core service collects and redistributes hygiene products and linens to vulnerable populations via a network of 550+ Community Facilities. The main social enterprise, Second Hand Hope, is a thrift store selling exclusively hotel Lost & Found items (not accepting individual donations), generating unrestricted funding for operations. Complementary products include Salish Sea Soap Pebbles (handcrafted organic soap), Organic Soap Bundles (for Global Hand Washing Day), and Rags (upcycled from damaged linens). The Caring Hotel Partners Program engages nearly 9,000 hotel rooms across BC and Alberta as a supply source, while The Fresh Start monthly donor program provides predictable funding. Seasonal pop-up events at Market Square and other locations extend community reach. All revenue from social enterprises flows back into operations where restricted funding cannot reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Second Hand Hope Thrift Store

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,601,324 hygiene products and linens distributed to vulnerable people
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, core, product partner, certifying partner and ecosystem partner.

• Green Wheel Cleanerssupporting partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Wheel Cleaners, a Victoria-based commercial cleaning company, has supported Soap For Hope Canada for four years through monthly donations that help upcycle gently used hygiene products for vulnerable individuals and families. The partnership aligns both organizations around shared commitments to sustainability, waste reduction, and community support.
• Caring Hotel Partners Program (60+ Hotels)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 60 hotels across British Columbia and Alberta (including Fairmont Empress, Four Seasons Whistler, Delta Ocean Pointe, The Parkside, Huntingdon Manor, Accent Inns, and many more) donate surplus hygiene products, retired linens, and unclaimed Lost & Found items to Soap For Hope Canada through the Caring Hotel Partners Program. Hotels benefit from reduced landfill waste and ESG reporting.
• NatuR&Dproduct partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatuR&D partnered with Soap For Hope Canada to create Salish Sea Soap Pebbles — handcrafted from organic factory soap cuts, enriched with minerals and charcoal. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, sustainably sourced, and crafted with purpose.
• Buy Social Canadacertifying partnerOthersBuy Social Canada certifies Second Hand Hope as a Social Enterprise, validating its social impact mission and circular economy model.
• Green Key Globalecosystem partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGreen Key Global is a sustainability certification body for hotels. Soap For Hope Canada is a recognized vendor with Green Key Global, supporting hotels working toward sustainability certification and responsible operational practices.
• ACE Courier Servicessupporting partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorACE Courier Services offers Soap For Hope Canada's community partners their lowest available rates for shipping hygiene products to community facilities outside Victoria. This partnership ensures affordable access to products for organizations across BC and Alberta.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global Soap Project: U.S.-based nonprofit that recovers and recycles soap from hotels to improve hygiene and prevent disease in developing countries. Directly comparable hotel-surplus hygiene repurposing mission with similar beneficiary focus.
• Clean the World Foundation: Global nonprofit that collects and recycles partially used hotel soap bars and hygiene products for distribution to people in need. Operates the same hotel-to-community repurposing model as Soap For Hope Canada, serving as the most direct comparable in the hygiene poverty space.
• The Hygiene Bank Canada: Canadian charity addressing hygiene poverty by collecting and distributing hygiene products to people in need across Canada. Closest Canadian peer addressing the same hygiene poverty problem through community distribution networks.

Broad incumbents

• Dress for Success: Global nonprofit providing professional attire and development services to women in need. Comparable nonprofit model that distributes donated goods to vulnerable populations to support dignity and economic opportunity, similar to Soap For Hope's dignity-through-hygiene mission.
• Goodwill Industries: Large nonprofit operating thrift stores that fund community programs. While focused on employment rather than hygiene, the Second Hand Hope thrift store model is directly comparable in structure and social enterprise approach.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: Nonprofit home improvement thrift stores that fund affordable housing. Comparable circular economy nonprofit retail model that converts donated goods into mission-supporting revenue, similar to Second Hand Hope's hotel Lost & Found operation.
• Me to We / WE Charity: Canadian social enterprise and charity that operated WE Movement programs and sold socially-conscious products to fund international development. Comparable Canadian social enterprise model combining mission work with revenue-generating products.
• Food Banks Canada: National charitable network addressing food insecurity through community food distribution. Operates a comparable community-facility distribution model for essential needs, and many of Soap For Hope's partner community facilities are also food banks.

Others

• Lush Cosmetics: Ethical cosmetics company with strong sustainability positioning and charity partnerships. While a commercial brand rather than nonprofit, Lush is a relevant ecosystem partner given Soap For Hope's organic soap products and overlapping sustainability-focused donor base.

Regional players

• Mustard Seed Food Bank: Victoria, BC-based charity addressing poverty through food, shelter, and support services. Operates in the same geographic market as Soap For Hope Canada and serves overlapping vulnerable populations through community partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soap-for-hope-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soap For Hope Canada