Old Clothes for Charities

[Nicos]

There are loads of large emmaus centres in France- open I think 2 or 3 times a week.
There are always queues waiting for them to open.
Similar sort of prices to our charity shops.

( loads of old, used knickers and bras on offer too- and being bought!)

[nelliegemini]

I did this once. Scoured local charity shop for good shirts, made a quilt - gave it to be raffled by another charity. Double charitable whammy!

Working in a charity shop (AgeConcern - helps the over 50's in the local area), I buy, take home, wear, wash and bring back to the shop. Recycling! I also know what they spend their money on and have visited their local centres, and so am quite happy with volunteering for them.

[m3bfs]

I daydream of setting up a workshop where we get volunteers to refashion old shirts, sheets etc and make them into quilts and cushions, to be sold to raise money for hospices etc.
It's all beyond my abilities though ... having a premises, organising volunteers, teaching the skills, accounting. Big can of worms!

I don't know your circumstances etc, but do you have a couple of friends who are like minded on this, so that you could maybe get together one evening a week to start things off, and maybe build up from there.

Oooh i do hate the written word at times, not too sure the above paragraph reads as what i'm trying to say, but hopefully you'll understand what i'm trying to say.

A bit like that awful pyramid selling thingy, you and a friend, then friend brings friend, you bring another friend, they bring friends, word gets around things grow, and before you know it, you're hiring a community room, word spreads and before long, workshop is there with (hopefully) other people who've joined in along the way have the skills that maybe you don't, and you have the skills they don't. People have learnt skills, which help them move on taking the skills they've learned and teaching others.

Isn't that how we get the big oak trees from a little seed. (well there has to be something before we get the acorn).

Just my twopence worth and hope i've not upset or offended anybody.

m3bfs (a really person with a funny user name lol)

[bubblewrap]

If it wasn't for the joke shop sending people on "work experience" most charity shops would close.

[BrideXIII]

There is a good charity for homeless people, started in France but now in the UK as well I believe. Emmaus. Its run for homeless people by homeless people. People with stuff to give away (like a freecycle in a shop) call Emmaus and a couple of their homeless workers go and take the stuff. They bring it to the shop, clean it etc and then sell it on. They are paid a salary, which allows them to rent a place, which, with a fixed address allows them to get onto the welfare system for extra benefits etc. It also instills a feeling of self worth rather than hopelessness that a lot of homeless people feel. Its a good system and I buy stuff from my local one often.

we have an Emmaus here in Portslade, my mum and I regularly take stuff to them, and buy stuff from them too. all my terracotta plant pots, forks spades etc, cutlery.

you know when you give them stuff its sold back to the local community, you know where it's going, we dont have much ourselves, but what we do replace, or find, or get bored with goes to them .

they deliver too for a small fee, so I can get big things like beds/furniture even though i don't drive, its a BIG house too, so many of the people stay there until they get back on their feet, you can chat to them whilst they are doing repairs, or serving in the big shopfloor or the cafeteria, most of them are really nice, some not so, but they ALL work hard for their place there.

Emmaus do good pactical work.

[SueA]

I tend to take unwanted items to either the local animal shelter charity shop or the local Scope charity shop but I do sometimes put things in the bags that come through the door but only the ones that are for recognised charities such as Age Concern/Help the Aged, British Heart Foundation etc. as I think most of the decent items you put in them are sold in their shops.

[petal]

Idea: sell your old stuff at a car boot sale then donate money to your local child's hospice. Problem solved!

[bubblewrap]

Problem most of my clothes are worse than charity shops sell

[petal]

bubblewrap, you would be amazed at what people will buy!

[bubblewrap]

Oh! yes I would I've been to Next!