From February 26th until March 19th 2018 I collected and donated clothes to a shelter named ‘Bahnhofsmission’, located under the station Zoologischer Garten. This shelter helps out the homeless and the less-fortunate by providing food, clothes, and shelter; organized primarily by the people of Berlin.
Over the course of 4 weeks I went collected clothes, that came mostly from my myself and my family, as we have lots of clothes laying around that are too small or do not wear anymore. Otherwise I also collected clothes from classmates from our school, and the Nelson Mandela community as a whole.
I was also to find some friends who were able to donate some shoes, I was very grateful for this, because shoes are much appreciated at the shelter, as they are always in high demand. Other items collected includes a few trousers, T-shirts, and lots of sweaters/long-sleeved shirts. The only condition, when donating clothes is that they had to be able in good/wearable conditions and dry clothes, because it is important that the clothes donated are of good use to someone else. Similarly, shoes donated had to be wearable, preferably new, as the shelter does not accept worn pairs.
By the end of the four week period, I was very satisfied with the amount of clothes we were able to collect, as I knew that someone else who doesn’t have the means to buy clothes would be very happy with them. Especially because it was almost effortless for me to collect clothes, yet it has such a big impact on others. I’m glad my CAS Project who’s actually of use to others around me.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who donated clothes during this time period, and just know that you’ve put a smile on someone else’s face, which is always a good feeling!
Bob Luijters, IB13, 2018