Buffalo Exchange will begin its Coats for Cubs collection drive for the Humane Society of the United States this Saturday — encouraging customers to donate their fur apparel for use as bedding for injured and orphaned wildlife.
Michelle Livingston, Buffalo Exchange marketing director, said the store held its first Coats for Cubs drive after a customer in Tuscon suggested the store participate in the event. The Humane Society has operated Coats for Cubs for more than 10 years, she said.
“Buffalo Exchange hopes to collect about 900 to 1,000 used furs in the upcoming drive, which will run until Earth Day, Apr. 22, 2010,” Livingston said.
Livingston said they collected 40 used furs in Austin last year, and she hopes they can match that number this year.
Buffalo Exchange, which has 42 corporate and franchise retail stores in 14 states, sends the furs to the Humane Society of the United States, not the Austin chapter of the Humane Society.
Naomi Elliott, an expert buyer at the Buffalo Exhange on Guadalupe Street, said that Austin is a good place for an event like this because of the large number of Austinites interested in the vegan movement.
“Whenever people bring in furs with rips or tears to sell to the store, we always recommend they donate them,” Elliott said. “It’s not a huge promotional deal right now, and not a lot of people know about it.”
Buffalo Exchange shopper Maria Castro, a student at Texas State University, said an event like this is for those leading a compassionate lifestyle.
“It reflects the way we treat the unfortunate of our society.” Castro said. “I would not want to make a profit.”
The Humane Society and Buffalo Exchange are working together to promote the Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009. If the act passes, it can require all garments made with animal fur to clearly state so on the label, which will help consumers make more informed decisions, according to a statement on the Humane Society’s Web site.
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