KOZHIKODE: Dress Bank, an initiative of nearly 1,500 volunteers across the state, has now distributed around 80,000 clothes to poor people across the country in three years. Based in Pulikkal, near Ramanattukara, the team has collection points in all the districts. Apart from sending clothes to the needy, the group also has set up a temporary textiles outlet in coastal areas, where one can shop for two pairs of dresses by producing a token.
The idea was launched by volunteers of the Mujahid Students Movement (MSM) and Shelter India charitable trust three years ago. They say, now they are getting voluntary support from schools and colleges. A college in Ernakulam recently sent a lorry full of clothes to the team. They accept used, but not worn out clothes, says state coordinator Dr P.N. Shabeel.
“We request senders not to donate old clothes, but those which can be used with dignity. Even some of the textile showrooms pass on their surplus stuff to us. The clothes can be handed over to the coordinators in each district”, said Shabeel. The needy can reach out to the Dress Bank initiative though 9061099550. In the coastal textile outlets, families are given tokens for clothes. The dress bank regularly sends clothes to tribal areas in Bihar and a few places in Karnataka.
