At this clothes bank for the poor, a piece costs only Re 1
Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com
Bengaluru: 08.11.2021
A new clothes bank has come up in Bengaluru where the underprivileged can shop for just Re 1 per piece of clothing.
The goodwill initiative, Imagine Clothes Bank was unveiled on September 12 at a tiny two-bedroom apartment in Lava Kusha Layout of Beratena Agrahara in Electronics City. It is open only on Sundays.
Bengaluru’s boutique for the poor is the brainchild of four college buddies — Vinod Prem Lobo, Melisha Noronha, Nitin Kumar and Vignesh — who have been involved extensively in social activities for a few years now.
“It all goes back to our college days of 2002 at St Aloysius, Mangaluru, when we floated a clothes bank on the streets for the poor with pieces collected through contributions made by students from schools in the city. The free distribution went on successfully for a while till we all finished our studies and left,” recalled Lobo.
After finding their careers, the friends once again came together in Bengaluru to restart what they had left behind and started Imagine Trust. Early this year, they decided on opening a clothing bank in Bengaluru, especially after Covid crisis left many daily wage labourers and migrant workers unemployed.
“We began collecting old clothes through friends and acquaintances with a focus on apartment complexes in Bengaluru and received a good response,” said Lobo, who along with friends, zeroed in on a two-bedroom flat in Electronics City for setting up the bank.
The first day itself saw many underprivileged families come in and pick clothes. All kinds of clothes in good condition, including shirts, pants, skirts, saris, jackets and even blankets and curtains finely spread out on par with a boutique here. Two staff members ensure the pieces are segregated according to age, sizes and types.
DRESS & DIGNITY: All kinds of clothes in good condition, and even blankets and curtains are availabe in this Bengaluru bank
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