The Lending Cupboard™ is a registered charity located in the heart of Central Alberta in Red Deer.  We have been in existence since 2006 and opened our door with a small amount medical equipment! 

Jaqui Joys established The Lending Cupboard™, not only to meet a personal need, but to meet the needs of all people who are still benefitting from our organization today.

With her husband sick with cancer and bedridden, Jaqui found herself in need of a variety of medical equipment. During her search, she was introduced to Fred Kingsmill, a London businessman who had started gathering medical equipment and lending it out for free - for as long as it was needed. Following Alan’s passing, Jaqui spoke to Kingsmill about establishing a similar lending cupboard in Alberta. With a van full of donated medical equipment, Jaqui travelled to Lethbridge and the first Cupboard was established and was managed by her in-laws, with the support of the Palliser Health Region.

Jaqui settled into Red Deer and, identifying a need, decided to start The Lending Cupboard™. Getting support was an uphill trek for Jaqui - many organizations she spoke with wanted to wait and see how it would run before getting involved. However, Jaqui was not deterred and continued to talk to whomever would listen.

She eventually found an empty space in a warehouse (near the hospital) owned by a business man named Barry. She negotiated ‘free’ rent and started the organization with her friend, Helen. They had one piece of equipment – an electric bed - and a volunteer who could fix absolutely anything. In time, other volunteers stepped forward and more equipment was donated. Having heard about the lending program in Medicine Hat, the David Thomson Health Region approached Jaqui about taking over the hip and knee program. From there, a board of directors was established and The Lending Cupboard™ officially became a charitable organization

We have come a long way since then and while things have changed over the years, our motto of “If you need it and we’ve got it you can borrow it!” remains today. 

In 2022 we had an inventory of 15,000+ pieces of medical equipment, we processed 29,618 pieces of medical equipment and served 11,637 clients. 

Still operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 9:00 am – 4:30 pm at #1, 7803 – 50th Avenue.  We have an incredible team with 6 part-time staff and 60 volunteers, led by our Executive Director and a strong Board of Directors.

Check out the library of pictures on our Facebook page and see some of the history of our organization.