Clothes Bank
Creating ripples of change through clothing
20 years ago a seed was sown. A fully functional clothes bank in Mangalore helped thousands of people who could not afford good clothes. Fast forward to Bangalore in 2021, history repeats but in a big way. Imagine Clothes Bank (let’s say 2.0) is born.
Yes, Imagine Clothes Bank is a clothes showroom for the poor. Who doesn’t like walking into a well decorated place and picking clothes of their choice? If you and I enjoy this experience, why should the less-fortunate be deprived of this?
Pre-loved and new clothes are made available to beneficiaries every Sunday at Electronics City, Bangalore. The centre caters to the needs of close to over 150 families every week.
At the Imagine Clothes Bank, you will see love, respect, dignity and the right to choose in action. In order to uphold the dignity of the beneficiaries, we charge Re 1 per article of clothing. This money in turn is used to fund the educational or medical needs of a family in need. Through this initiative, we want to create a complete cycle, where not only do beneficiaries receive help from Imagine but also contribute to a greater cause.
Successfully launched a showroom in Electronic City, Bangalore. We are certain to reach 5200 families in a year covering over 25000 people in this phase
The Imagine Clothes Bank, based in Electronics City, helps in fulfilling the basic necessity of good clothing for anyone in need. Clothes collection drives are held in different parts of the city to facilitate the donation of used clothing in good condition worthy of a second use. A thorough segregation and inspection ensures that only clothing in the right condition finds its place into the bank.
The clothes are then made available every Sunday. There is no restriction of religion, age, sex, language here, there is something for everyone.
The clothes bank, we believe, is just the beginning of a revolutionary change which in course of time will spread wings to cater to toys, shoes, medicines, stationary, home needs like utensils, etc. The vision is of a one-stop-center where all the basic needs of the underprivileged are met. Its is a social movement to uplift the life of our brethren in need. Through the clothes bank, we also want to educate the beneficiaries on the various government benefits and schemes and assist them in availing them.
Imagine relies completely on contributions of used/new clothes. Clothes collection drives are run by Champions of Imagine in various schools, colleges, organizations and apartments and the collected clothes are then sent to the Imagine Clothes Bank. Imagine needs clothes all year round.
As a champion for the Imagine Clothes Bank, here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Approvals Please initiate discussions with your organization/ apartment’s approval authorities (management committee. We can send a formal email on request. Step 2: Decide the dates and venue Choose a few dates that work well for all (with a weekend in between) and select a safe indoor space that’s easily accessible to use as your ‘drop point’ for clothes. Please highlight a last date as well. Step 3: Send out communication Imagine will provide you with all the necessary communication collaterals for digital communication. Please use your popular channel such as Whatsapp, Telegram, Adda, etc to spread the word around. Daily reminders do wonders to your collection drive. Step 4: Segregate With the help of volunteers in your organization/apartment, you can segregate the collected clothes to check for damages etc. An Imagine Core Team member can guide you on this. Contact the team member on the phone numbers shared below. Coming together for segregation activity is a great engaging activity and is truly gratifying. Step 5: Hand over to Imagine You can drop the collected clothes at the Imagine Clothes Bank near Hosa Road, Electronics City. You can also send them by Porter/ similar logistics’ providers or get together volunteers to drop them at our centre.
We encourage drives every six months keeping in mind the response from the contributors and the effort put in by the champions.
Through posters, flyers printed on recycled paper, word of mouth and through pop-up clothes banks in slums and other areas in the surrounding neighbourhoods. What are the other ways in which we can support the clothes bank? Volunteer at our centre for segregation of clothes and also for running the clothes bank. Provide logistical support to transport clothes to our centre. Contribute in cash towards the various expenses of the clothes bank. Donate/ purchase sarees and inner garments as we do not receive these in collection drives. Tweet, blog and write about us on social media so more like-minded people may come together towards this cause.
While this is a dream that is rapidly taking shape, we are looking for collaborators, partners and contributors to make this project HUGE. We’re excited that this journey has already begun. Apart from setting up a clothes bank, The Imagine Trust has also been able to reach out to certain tribal groups and assisted them with basic clothing.
We are in need of funding to make this a sustainable effort and invite philanthropic contributions from funding agencies and corporate organizations. In case you wish to partner with us, please reach us on 9886701145.
