Clothes Bank For The Poor In Bengaluru Is Spreading Smiles With Each Garment Costing Re 1
In a unique initiative, four college friends have launched a clothes bank for the poor and needy, where they can drop and pick any garment for Re 1 in Bengaluru.
The initiative called Imagine Clothes Bank was kickstarted on September 12 at an apartment in Lava Kusha Layout in the Electronic City area of Karnataka capital Bengaluru.?The 'shop' is opened only on Sundays for the time being.
The initiative was the brainchild of four friends-Melisha Noronha, Vinod Prem Lobo, Nitin Kumar and Vignesh. The four friends have been extensively involved in social work, according to a report in Times of India.
What is it about?
The idea is on the lines of community refrigerators to feed the hungry.?It is aimed at ensuring the underprivileged are accorded dignity and respect besides the right to choose their own clothes, which generally doesn't happen when they wear borrowed or offered clothes.
When did they think of it?
"It all goes back to our college days in 2002 at Mangaluru's St Aloysius. At that time we had started a clothes bank for the city's poor. We used to collect clothes through contributions by school students in the city. We carried out the clothes distribution successfully till the time we got into our jobs," the report quoted Lobo as saying, who is now a communication professional with an IT company.
But now, they are back together. In early 2021, especially after the Covid-19 crisis and lockdowns left thousands of daily wage labourers and migrant workers unemployed, they decided on opening a clothes bank for the poor in Karnataka¡¯s capital city.
How do they use the money earned from it?
The clothing line includes shirts, pants, skirts, saris and jackets. Some of the stuff is new and some are as good as new. The clothes are displayed like any other clothing at a showroom.?Two staff members ensure the pieces are segregated according to age, size and type. The ¡°sales¡± money is used to fund educational or medical needs of families in need.
According to the four friends, they are serving at least 150 families a week after getting an overwhelming response.?Having received the kind of response from patrons for seven straight Sundays, the buddies now plan to open a toy bank for underprivileged children this Children¡¯s Day (November 14).
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