You know those large boxes in the street where you can donate clothing? They’re called boîtes de dons, donation boxes.
There’s one in my area from an organisation called Le Support.
Support is an interesting word — it’s got several usages, two of which are particular to Québécois French.
Remember, support is pronounced as if it were written suppor.
1. The first Québécois usage is support in the sense of appui, soutien (aid, support).
offrir un support financier à quelqu’un
to offer someone financial support
(example taken from the Usito dictionary)
2. The second Québécois usage is support in the sense of clothes hanger.
Voulez-vous garder les supports?
Do you want to keep the clothes hangers?
Considering that Le Support offers support (definition 1) by selling donated clothing (clothes hangers; definition 2), their name is fitting.
Have you already talked about how “supporter” does not mean “to support” in French? This is a mistake I often hear being made by native English speakers (“Mes amis me supportent”, meaning “My friends put up with me” – rather different from “My friends support me”.). Or do francophones in Quebec use “supporter” in this sense as well?
Yes, you’ll hear that usage in Québec, although reference guides generally discourage it. For example:
— appuyer un candidat
— soutenir un candidat
— supporter un candidat (can be heard in Québec)
For to put up with, you’ll often hear the verb endurer.