An NGO, Imagine Trust, has started a clothes bank at Electronic City, Bengaluru. The bank started in September 2021 and is giving away clothes at Re 1 each. Melisha Noronha, her husband Vinod Lobo, her mother Gladys, and two of her friends, Nitin Kumar and Vignesh, started the Trust in 2013.
They came up with the idea of the cloth bank during the peak of the pandemic this year. According to Melisha, they felt that it was their duty to give back to society. She said that a poor family spends about Rs 2,000 annually on clothes, and the idea was to help them save the money for better use.
Vinod and Nitin ran a cloth back when they were in college in Mangaluru about 18 years ago, which inspired them to pursue this cloth bank.
“We had seen the impact it made and took the learning to create a showroom for the poor.”Melisha Noronha
Melisha said that the team was afraid that a few people might corner all the clothes, so they maintained a list of people who visited them. They only allow their visitors to buy up to 10 clothes in one visit. They also educate their repeat customers about the difference between need and greed. The cloth bank has benefitted 560 families so far.
She further said that they use the money gained from the initiative to provide for the needy. About 2,500 clothes are available on Sundays at a store in Lava Kusha Layout, and 1,500 of them get picked up every week. About 30 apartments in and around Electronic City donate these clothes.
“Every item is hand-checked. We give clear guidelines about what can be contributed and what cannot.”Melisha Noronha
Melisha specified that the team had stocks that would last for about six months. A retailer that closed down during the pandemic gave away new clothes to the bank. The team will put out these new clothes as a festival collection. It plans to keep doing so on special occasions. They are also planning to start banks for utensils and toys.
For donations, call 9611977074 or visit Imagine Trust Cloth Bank, No. 97, Lava Kusha Layout, Beratena Agrahara, Electronic City Post, open on Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm.
(With inputs from Deccan Herald and The Times of India)
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