Ythan Valley Rotary's clothing bank celebrates two years of easing hardship
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Ythan Valley Rotary Club are celebrating the second anniversary of the Ythan Valley Clothing Bank this month.
Two years down the road Ythan Valley’s Clothing Bank has plenty of clothes in the bank and willing hands for distribution.
The group have also extended their thanks to everybody who has supported the project with a financial donation in this time, including: Tesco (twice), Central Buchan Rotary, St Machar Rotary in Aberdeen and also the Methlick Cycle Challenge Fund.
Looking back over the last two years, Ythan Valley Rotarian Gordon Wallace said: "The donations have been gratefully received and have been used to outfit our distribution centre with high quality racking and shelving units.
"All of these groups and organisations recognised the importance of what we were doing and wanted to support our Clothing Bank service project.
"This service project is bringing some dignity, comfort and support into the lives of women, men and children who are struggling throughout some difficult and often harrowing times in their lives.
"We now have a large network of over 20 professional referrers with whom we have a really good relationship.
"With their support, our Clothing Bank has brought some dignity and support to almost 200 beating hearts.
"This has included clothing boys, girls, women and men as well as passing pyjamas and slippers to ARI’s Covid Ward at the height of the pandemic.
"An amazing donation of a suitcase full of brand-new school clothes plus four large bags of PE equipment was distributed to local primary schools and a nursery.
"Despite the fact that none of us knows our recipients, there are some lovely stories we hear about...one was that of a gentleman who was being discharged from hospital with only his pyjamas, socks and slippers to wear.
"When we discovered that he was about to celebrate his 90th birthday, one of our team, who is very arty crafty, even created a birthday card and his carer said 'he was chuffed to bits'.
"We firmly believe that Rotary clubs can serve the world through working together and so we were thrilled when Central Buchan, Peterhead and Fraserburgh came on board with our service project.
"With their own particular local knowledge and contacts, the Clothing Bank’s service has expanded and there is now a large network of distributors and contacts.
"There were plans for us all to get together which were scuppered, but fingers crossed with Covid looking more positive, this will happen in the not-too-distant future.
"Thank you to everyone who continues to support this service project, especially Methlick Parish Church, without whose assistance the Clothing Bank would not exist."
