Launceston Foodbank has teamed up with local sustainable clothing company Nomads to highlight the importance of shopping second-hand, while supporting people living in food poverty.
The project sees collaboration between two local names to put beautiful Nomads clothing on a designated rail in the foodbank’s charity shop on Newport Industrial Estate, meaning the clothes can be given a second lease of life while generating much-needed funds to support local families that use the foodbank. The clothes are either samples from their design room in Launceston, or pieces that have been discontinued.
Yvonne King, project manager of Launceston Foodbank, and the charity shop manager Jo told us more about the collaborative project.
As a self-funded organisation, the charity shop funds the foodbank, which is based a few yards away from the shop to retain confidentiality. Clothes, toys, home furnishings, DVDs and books, and other items, are priced as reasonably as possible to generate an income for the foodbank, while also addressing the throw-away culture that has the nation in a grip.
The shop is a drop-off point for unwanted bras, which are part-recycled to raise money for breast cancer research and also sent to deprived areas of the world. Each week they send off old clothes, soft furnishings, rags and other items that cannot be sold in the shop to be recycled, and are paid by the kilo for doing so. The team recycles paper, cardboard boxes and hangers at Tesco; broken, unsaleable toys are taken away by TerraCycle, electrical items are transferred over to Launceston Rotary’s charity shop in the town centre and old glasses, and foreign coins and stamps are donated to Launceston Lions.
Recycling and encouraging the community to shop second-hand is at the heart of the foodbank’s ethos, so this latest collaboration between the foodbank and Nomads comes at a good time.
Nomads has been trading locally for 30 years. They have been donating samples from their design room in Launceston and rejected clothing to a wonderful charity called BDF Newlife, which supports the families of children with disabilities or terminal illnesses. They sell them in their shops, not only helping the charity raise funds to buy much-needed equipment, but also saving the items from
going to landfill.
Their social media manager, Samara, suggested that some of the more recent samples could be donated to Launceston Foodbank, to support the local community. Not only will the samples go towards providing much needed funds for the Foodbank, it also means that they
get given a new lease of life and are not sent to landfill.
A spokesperson for Nomads said: “It’s a great local charity and Nomads were more than happy to support and would certainly like to continue to do so over the many coming seasons!”
Yvonne added: “The clothes are quality items that people will love and can use for many years to come. Because we’re independent, we priced them as reasonably as possible. All the money made from the Nomads items goes to the foodbank, helping to support local people.”
There is no doubt that the foodbank, its staff and volunteers offer a vital service to the community. With it, there are ups and downs, and the team are always on hand to offer a friendly face, or a listening ear when times get tough.
Yvonne said: “It can be upsetting, and there can be things that stay with you for a long time, but you have to stay positive. We do what we can to help people.”
The Foodbank was one of the first local organisations to set up a Warm Space a couple of years ago, and they continue this every Thursday at Launceston Community Church, next door to the charity shop, although it is now known as the ‘Community Open Space’. Here, people can pop in for a cup of tea and a chat, or ask for support and advice.
With autumn and winter approaching, and energy costs expected to hit low income families, Launceston Foodbank is urging the community to help as much as they can.
“We rely so heavily on people donating to us” Yvonne continued. “We’re open five days a week, and take donations at the side door of the charity shop.”
The team is thought to have fed more than 400 local children during the recent summer holidays.
They work with 17 schools in the area to identify children aged 5 to 18 years on the free school meal scheme, and invite their families to receive parcels that cover breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
In addition to working alongside local schools, the foodbank is in regular contact with adult social care providers, in order to look out for the older generation who may not be so quick to ask for help.
This Christmas, the foodbank will be providing Christmas bags full of festive treats and toys.
“We have a little army of cars that deliver the bags to the families, who have no idea that we’re sending them,” Yvonne said. “The donations to both the foodbank and the foodbank charity shop need to keep happening in order for us to continue our work. People can donate anything, from tins of soup or tuna, to a packet of biscuits or hygiene items. We always encourage people when they go shopping to buy one extra item each time, to donate to the foodbank.”
The Nomads clothing rail can be found at Launceston Foodbank charity shop at 12 Southern Court, Newport Industrial Estate. If you are in need of some support, you can contact Launceston Foodbank for some advice on which agencies will be able to refer you to use the foodbank’s services.
Visit launceston.foodbank.org.uk for more information about receiving support or making a donation.
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