Sewa, businesses team up for food, clothing drive

BAVINA SOOKDEO

Sewa International TT is inviting the public to participate in its Clothing Recycle and Food Pack Charity Drive, which aims to make a substantial positive impact on those in need.

Rooted in a decade-long commitment to national development and humanitarian causes, Sewa International TT champions effective organisation, community service, and environmental responsibility. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG), the Clothing Recycle Drive, initiated in 2018, addresses environmental concerns while improving the lives of individuals and families.

Over the past three Clothing Recycle events, the NGO has helped over 4,500 families, distributing more than 70,000 clothing items. This year, the organisation aims to collect 30,000 clothing pieces and distribute them to 1,000 deserving families.

Its call to action includes donating clothing, sponsoring food packs, and volunteering for sorting, racking, and preparing clothing, as well as packaging and preparing food packs for distribution.

In an interview, Revan Teelucksingh, president of Sewa, explained the rationale behind the Clothing Recycle Drive.

“Our research showed that at least eight per cent of all items that go into the landfill are textiles.”

This includes not just cotton, but all clothing materials, often containing micro-plastics harmful to the environment and human health.

The initiative aims to repurpose clothing that would otherwise end up in landfills, giving it new life and reducing the need for new purchases.

“We encourage people that as soon as you get it, if it is something not conducive to you or can’t fit you, let us repurpose it one time,” emphasised Teelucksingh.

SewaTT’s goal for this year’s Clothing Recycle has a specific focus on professional wear and children's and baby clothes.

Teelucksingh highlighted the importance of these categories, saying, “A lot of young people just don’t have the wherewithal to have professional wear to go out into the workplace.”

The Food Pack Charity Drive has an average cost of $400 per pack. Teelucksingh expressed tremendous gratitude to supermarkets and distributors who play a crucial role in assisting SewaTT.

The process is not open to the public, owing to the overwhelming number of people, and individuals are selected based on recommendations from reputable organisations.

How are the recipients selected?

Teelucksingh said choosing families and individuals is a meticulous process that involves recommendations from various sources, including MPs, local councillors, NGOs and organisations dealing with issues such as domestic abuse and vulnerability. The process ensures those in genuine need receive the support.

“At the Divali Nagar, there is, like, a massive mall, where the clothes are laid out by category, size, type, and then we invite people to come and collect,” Teelucksingh said.

Teelucksingh stressed the transparency of SewaTT’s operations, saying the organisation is known for its robust process to ensure those who need support are the ones who receive it.

He said 100 per cent of the money donated to a project goes directly to that project. However, SewaTT also has additional costs for administration, the Green Fund, auditing statements, maintaining its mobile unit, and building projects.

“We are an organisation that really focuses on a high level of accountability, making sure that whatever is contributed by the public reaches the people who need it.”

SewaTT is also known to actively engage volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Teelucksingh highlighted the importance of knowledge transfer: “We are getting a lot of younger volunteers who would be paired with professionals, and that knowledge transfer is there.”

Volunteers ranging from 15-40 contribute to the success of SewaTT’s projects.

The organisation welcomes volunteers to participate in sorting clothes, providing an opportunity for individuals, families, or companies to spend time together.

“We are focusing heavily on that retired group of persons who have a lot to offer and who have a wealth of experience. They have the ability to move and they have a lot of knowledge that can be transferred to the middle-aged and the young volunteer, so we are asking volunteers to look at our website and register to come and help us sort the clothes.

"You get to interact with a lot of like-minded people, you could come together as a company or you could come together as a family and spend a few hours with us going through the clothes, sorting it.

"You get to see the challenges that we have and also how we solve these challenges. You get to see the scale...When we say it’s the largest in the Caribbean, it really is the largest in the entire Caribbean.”

More info:

Clothing Recycle Drive: For this drive, new or gently-used clothing can be dropped off at the Divali Nagar site from 9 am-4 pm, November 18-19.

Acceptable donations

Clothing (adult/children/baby)

Formal wear (wedding dresses, suits etc)

Belts with usable buckles and no signs of dry rot

Bags with usable zips and no signs of dry rot

Shoes in pairs and no signs of dry rot

Scarves, hats, ties

Not accepted: Underwear, jewellery, appliances/electronics, wares, furniture.

Blood drive: November 19. Register at www.sewatt.org or check social media pages

Costs: SewaTT is also asking the public to assist with administrative costs. If you would like to do so, call 333-Sewa or e-mail admin@sewatt.org.

Food drive: Ongoing till December 24: Sponsor a food pack with a $100 contribution or donate flour, rice, oil, macaroni, split peas, sugar, milk, baking powder, salt, onion, garlic, curry powder, toiletries etc. Value: $250.

At any partner supermarket, donors can inform the cashier they are buying a SewaTT food pack. SewaTT Food Pack appears on the bill

SewaTT will collect all items from the supermarkets to assemble food packs.

Partner supermarkets:

Better Deal Supermarket,

Croisée ChaseMart

Croisée Supermarket

Low Cost Supermarkets

All Massy Stores

MS Food City

All Persad's D’ Food King

Super Quality Supermarkets

All S&S Persads

All West Bees

All Xtra Foods