Bengaluru: Four college friends have launched a clothing bank in Bengaluru, where the poor and who need it can enter and take the clothes they want for the number of tokens re 1 per piece.
Called Imagine Clothing Bank, the Goodwill Initiative, on the lines of the fridge community to feed The Hungry, launched on September 12 this year in a small two-bedroom apartment in Lava Kusha Layout in Agrahara, Electronics City.
For now, open only on Sundays.
Bangaluru boutique for the poor, which aims to ensure less able to provide dignity and respect in addition to the right to vote, is the idea of ​​Vinod Prem Lobo, Melisha Noronha, Nitin Kumar and Vignesh, who have been involved in social activities for several years now.
“Everything returned to our classes in 2002 at St Aloysius, Mangaluru, when we were a classmate floating bank clothes on the streets of the city for the poor,” said Lobo, now a communication professional with IT companies.
“Clothing is collected through contributions made by students from schools in the city.
The free distribution runs successfully for a while until we all complete the study and go to pursue our career.” After settling on their careers, friends came back together in Bengaluru Continuing what they have left in Mangaluru.
The result is imagine trust, a charity organization aimed at lifting a more economically weaker part.
In early 2021, especially after the crisis and locking Covid-19 left thousands of Dailywage workers and unemployed migrant workers, they decided to open a clothing bank for poor people in the capital city of Karnataka.
“We began collecting old clothes through friends and acquaintances and we also spread the news between the associations of resident’s welfare in the large apartment complex in Bengaluru,” Lobo said.
“The response we received was good,” Lobo said.
Meanwhile, they also looked for a place to establish their boutiques and finally focused on a flat two bedroom in the electronic city.
All kinds of clothing including shirts, pants, skirts, sari, jackets and even blankets and curtains – some new ones and the rest are as good as new – displayed neatly with any store.
Two staff members make sure the pieces are separated according to age, size and type.
“Sales” money is used to fund the needs of education or medical families in need.
Larger plan on the first day when the door was discarded open, some unfavorable families including women and children walked in and took clothes that suited their needs.
The team said they served 150 surprising families every week.
After receiving a remarkable response from customers for seven days in a row, friends now plan to open a toy bank for children who are less capable of these children’s day (November 14).