NGO inaugurates free Pre-Loved Clothes Outlet to aid needy

COIMBATORE: A Coimbatore-based NGO in collaboration with the Coimbatore District Rural Development Agency inaugurated a Pre-Loved Clothes Outlet (PLCO) for needy people at Bodipalayam Village near Madukkarai on Wednesday.

Coimbatore district Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati inaugurated the camp at Bodipalayam village, in front of the Seerapalayam village panchayat office.
The outlet aims to give needy people a shopping experience while ensuring they reuse used dresses and the worn-out dresses are properly recycled.
The project is being run with the support of social workers.

M Ganesh, managing trustee of Helping Hearts, said it was the 144th camp conducted by the NGO. He also added that they have partnered with AUMM Clothing Foundation which recycles the dresses, Krishna Foundation collects the used dresses and Annapoorna Truck and Taxi which supports in logistics.

“After processing, storage and recycling of clothes, the clothes are subjected to quality checks after separating usable garments. The buttons, zips and other damages are mended before washing, ironing and packing, and through this process, we get the used clothes as refurbished ones. The pre-owned clothes outlet offers used clothing items for free of cost to beneficiaries, making needy underprivileged people use it,” said Ganesh.

The initiative was started in March 2023 and this was the 144th camp. Around nine camps are conducted in a month. In Coimbatore district, camps have been held in seven blocks so far. Nearly 100 villages have been covered in the last year in which at least 30,000 people have benefited and at least 60,000 clothes got reused. Also, around 3 tons of worn-out clothes got recycled and donated, said the organisers.

“The initiative to reuse and recycle clothes would help avoid unused clothes ending up in landfills. By repurposing and redistributing pre-owned clothes, we reduce landfills and promote a culture of reuse and recycling within the community. The shopping outlet provides a space where people can come together, share resources, and support one another, thus strengthening social bonds and promoting a sense of belonging within the community,” said Sabarieshwaran Rathinasamy, a programme coordinator.