BMC Launches Initiative to Collect Old Clothes For Needy

Bhubaneswar (Reporters Today Bureau): The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), On the occasion of Utkala Dibasa today launched ‘Wheel of Kindness’ initiative under which the process to provide clothes to the needy in the city by collecting them from different sources. BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhury informed that three clothes collection and distribution centers will be opened in three zones of Bhubaneswar.

A ‘Kindness Hub’ has been selected in  Madhusudan Nagar where The clothes will be washed, pressed, and packed before distribution. The people, who are interested to donate their clothes, can donate clothes at BMC main office and at zonal offices or they can give a call on mobile number +91 7978242201 for collection of clothes from their doorstep.

A special vehicle named ‘Kindness on Wheels’ has been designed for the distribution of clothes among needy people. Segregated racks with clothes for kids, women, and men will be provided on the bus. It will ply on the streets nearby different slums or labor markets across the city in two shifts from 9 AM to 2 PM and then from 4 PM to 9 PM every working day. NGO Vikash has been engaged in the work. The NGO has been given the task of collecting at least 17, 500 pieces of clothes every month.

Right from babies to elderly people, the Kindness Hub accepts clothes of persons of all ages. “The purpose behind this initiative is to collect old clothes that can be still be used and make those available to the needy free of cost. Besides, it will encourage people not to discard their wearable old clothes, instead, they can give them to us as a result these clothes reach the needy and homeless people living in the city,” said BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary. A needy man can take three clothes at a time. The BMC will spend around Rs 1.60 lakh every month as part of its running and maintenance cost of the initiative.