Designer dresses could have been yours for just $20 on Saturday, with the added bonus of helping around 500 women celebrate their upcoming graduations. 

Gowns for Grads held a pop-up sale of dresses that were donated to them but didn't quite fit with their typical graduation gown model. Organizing committee chair Brooke Bouchard says they had some pretty expensive dresses for a very reasonable price. 

"These donations are fabulous but they're more party-style dresses," Bouchard said. "We've been doing this for long enough that we're very familiar with what students come here to select and this isn't it. So we've decided to re-purpose these dresses, give the general public great shopping deals and then put the money back into our program and supplement the inventory we're lacking for this year." 

Gowns for Grads is an organization that offers free grad dresses and accessories to women graduating high school who may not be able to afford it. They accept donations year round of gowns, shoes, evening bags and jewelry. Volunteers help the clients pick their outfits free of charge.

Around 65 schools are already registered with Gowns for Grads in 2018, for a total of about 500 students. 

The funds from today's sale go towards purchasing plus-size formal gowns. 

"They're difficult to find," Bouchard said. "It's really important for us to have quality selection for all girls, no matter what size they are."

Bouchard says they accepting applications until late-May or early-June. 

"We're looking forward to another successful season with a lot of girls leaving here with amazing dresses and huge smiles," Bouchard said. "We have a great success rate. Around 98 to 99 per cent of the girls who come to us leave with a fabulous outfit." 

Bouchard says they help 18-year-old girls who are just graduating high school and older women who went back to finish their education.

"They've worked so hard to get to this point," Bouchard said. "We see a lot of 18-year-olds that are graduating from high school and we love hosting them and they're wonderful. We're also excited to host the mature students who decide to go back and further their education. We see a lot of single moms and we feel everyone should be able to celebrate in style alongside their peers." 

Information on how to get involved or donate can be found on the Gowns for Grads website.

If you missed out on this year's sale, don't worry, Bouchard says they plan on having similar sales in the future.