Just a little over two weeks after a bus crash in Humboldt, SK, killed 15 members of a small town’s hockey team, Canada once again experienced tragedy this week when a driver used a rented van to deliberately hit pedestrians in busy downtown Toronto on Monday, killing 10 and wounding 14.

Now, the promo industry is again rallying in support of the Toronto victims and their families by using merchandise to raise donations. Case in point: Jas Brar, president and CEO of Entripy (asi/188416) in Oakville, ON, immediately had an e-commerce page established on his company’s website and started production of specially designed #TorontoStrong T-shirts.

#TorontoStrong T-shirt created by Entripy (asi/188416); courtesy of Entripy

“We knew we had the means,” he told Globalnews.ca. “It’s just something I felt we had to do.”

By Monday evening after the attack, the effort had started picking up steam. By Tuesday at noon, the first T-shirt had been printed. Between Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, the company had received 1,000 orders and raised more than $20,000.

“We’re shipping out orders in under 48 hours of receipt, printing on demand,” Lisa Evans, Entripy’s marketing communications and partnerships specialist, told ASI Canada. “We will continue selling them as long as people continue to purchase them with the intention to raise as much money as we can. We also hope they’ll help to unite the city and show support for those affected.” 

The minimalist yet simple design was created by Sukha Bhamra, Entripy’s visual brand director. He generated 11 concepts on Monday before the final design was chosen. “As much as you want to be creative, you want to get the message across and it had to be bold,” Bhamra told Globalnews. “Showing the skyline is always important, and we’ve got a beautiful skyline.”

Brar hopes to print thousands of shirts, and says 100% of the proceeds will go to the victims and their families. “It doesn’t bring back their loved ones, but it’s something small that I think will go a long way and we hope to help as many as we can,” he says.

Earlier this month, distributors in Humboldt, SK, designed and printed T-shirts to support the victims of the hockey team bus crash, ultimately fulfilling orders for thousands of pieces from all over the world.

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