Collection point for clothes for refugee women & children?

thorsoak

I've been having a mahoosive clear-out of clothes - tops, cardigans, skirts, jumpers etc - and also all the childrens' clothes that have been abandoned at Granny's house - and I would like to donate them somewhere that they can be useful - but I cannot find a collection point near to me (Colchester area). The charities that I've approached (homeless/vulnerable) want mens' clothing, and womens' aid doesn't want anything until after Christmas.

If anyone here can suggest anywhere that can use them, I'd be glad x

Person_one

If you want the clothes to go to refugees specifically what about this group?

http://www.refugeeactioncolchester.org.uk/what.html

thorsoak

Now that was the link I was looking for ...trouble is - the site appears to have been hacked :-(

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Try their Facebook Page? Or the Salvation Army in your area?

Kaye1

I agree- our local area has two refugee groups, which I found via Facebook. I cleared out all the children's clothes from the attic (obviously appropriate ones) and blankets and took it to the local group.

They parcelled it up and took it via a larger organisation to Calais. I put into Facebook- refugee and place name and just kept trying various combinations. They were thrilled with the warm clothes and specifically asked for socks too.

Spendless

Where I live, you can put clothes (bagged up) into large metal containers that go to charities. The containers are at supermarkets and charity recycling centres and sometimes close to local shops. They saw the name of the charity that benefits from them on it. Don't you have anything like that where you are? Eg like this
http://www.charitybags.org.uk/clothing_banks_clothing_containers.shtml


Or don't you get any charity bags through the letterbox saying they will collect unwanted clothing etc on x date?

sheramber

Most of the stuff in charity bins gets sold to a textile company who sell it in shops in this country or abroad in poorer countries. They are not given out free as some people would prefer but he charity concerned does get money to support their cause.

Be aware that often the so called charity bags dropped through the letter box are not for a charity at all. They are a company making a profit by getting clothes for nought and selling them to poor people in other countries.

Nothing wrong if that is what you want to support but many people think that they are donating directly to a refugee or a poor person.

There are some charities that do gift clothes direct, particularly to Africa or Syria.but you need to check out what the charity is going to do with your donations. Their are also volunteers who organise collections and distribute clothes to refugees elsewhere.

thorsoak

That's why I've tried so hard to get the clothes to people who will take the clothes to those who really need them. It's funny really - I'm feeling very emotional about the childrens' clothes - I want to know that other little children who really need clean, dry clothes have them - with love. My clothes don't bother me - if someone wants to sell them for money then okay - they can do it. I know it sounds stupid, but its somehow important to me to know that a little one is running around wearing Minnie Mouse leggings and feeling happy - even if there is dust and deprivation everywhere around her.

We have a wonderful air ambulance shop close by - and that gets all the books, bric a brac, cds, handbags shoes, curtains, cushion covers etc - but if they have the childrens clothes, they will be hung up for 50p each and people who come down for their holidays will just grab them off the racks, take they for the holidays and dump them at the end of the week :-(