Two-spirited Ojibway Woodland artist Patrick Hunter was on hand at the Giant Tiger in Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday to talk with customers about the orange shirt he designed for the retail chain last year.
The shirts — which feature Hunter's artwork and the phrase ‘Every Child Matters’ — can be purchased at Giant Tiger locations across Canada or through the store’s website. All of the proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go towards Indspire, a charitable organization that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people throughout the country.
The collaboration between Hunter and Giant Tiger is now in its second year.
“It’s been good overall,” said Hunter, speaking with SooToday during Wednesday’s meet and greet. “I think people are pretty pumped to see it. Once they find out that it’s me that did it, and not a random designer, they warm up a lot more.”
Rob Smokowich, who owns the Giant Tiger in the Sault, invited Hunter to be on hand for the launch of this year's fundraiser.
“Last year’s campaign was successful with the orange shirts, and once I found out Patrick was part of our local community, I thought it would be great to bring him in the store to introduce him to our customers,” he said. “These types of partnerships lead to healthier and happier communities. We’re all part of Sault Ste. Marie, and we want to make sure every child does matter and show our support.”
The campaign is intended to support Indigenous post-secondary students through Indspire's Learning from the Past Fund, while creating awareness for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Sept 30.
Hunter, who is a graduate of Sault College, says the shirt presents an opportunity to engage in dialogue with Canadians.
“The whole idea is outreach and engagement with communities around residential school survivors and the history of that — so if people are engaging and asking questions, then the shirt is doing its job,” Hunter said.
Giant Tiger contributes $75,000 to Indspire programs each year, on top of the proceeds from the orange shirt campaign.