ALWAYS A GIFT, NEVER A HANDOUT
- Feb 4, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 15, 2023
Our vision has always been simple - "Clothed in Love helps Christchurch families in need by blessing them with free good quality preloved or new clothing for their children."
From the beginning any family has been able to apply once every six months (to allow for season change and growth) with no judgement. We wanted the process to be easy and ensure there would be no barriers to someone receiving a pack.
So how do our recipients end up with their pack/s?
Firstly, a family (or support worker on behalf of a family) clicks on a link that takes them to a Google Form. This takes all of two minutes to fill in and asks for the bare minimum of contact details to ensure we get the pack to the right place. We ask for Gender, Age and Size for each child then items can be clicked as to what the family require for each child. That is all they need to do - easy!
From here, our team replies to confirm the form has been received. Our admin team transfer the information onto checklists so that every child gets a pack made up that is individualised to them. Thanks to the incredible donations we receive, each pack is made up of beautiful preloved (and sometimes new) clothing that is lovingly folded and put together into a pack just for them. The final addition is an age appropriate book and bookmark as a gift.
Once a number of packs are ready to go in a geographical area, we call our volunteer Courier Team to action. One of these wonderful volunteers will offer, pick up the packs, arrange and deliver these to the door of the recipients. From them we hear stories of big smiles, bags quickly rummaged through to squeals of delight and grateful mums, dads or carers who appreciate the support, connection and love this gift offers.
Our volunteers, donators and community - you can read this and smile. You are the ones who bring this joy, this relief that a little of the financial burden is lifted and knowledge that each child who receives this gift is a lot warmer, more confident and absolutely clothed in love.
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