The Street Store events are back this year, and the first one will be taking place in Alberton North at the end of May – This is how you can join in.
Alberton, South Africa (04 May 2022) – The Street Store is an amazing concept that welcomes destitute citizens to shop for warm winter clothing at no expense to themselves, all the while being able to retain their dignity and select items of clothing that are perfect for them.
Being given the freedom of choice is one of the most empowering feelings. They say beggars can’t be choosers, but actually, they can! It creates a great deal of hope when someone who feels down and out has the opportunity to make a choice that is all their own.
The Street Store is the world’s first rent-free, premises-free, ‘pop-up clothing store’ for the destitute, found entirely on the street and stocked by donations. This initiative is based on the notion that those in need can shop at The Street Store for suitable clothing items – at no cost.
A copywriter Kayli Levitan and her colleague, Max Pazak, founded The Street Store in 2014. The initiative’s success has been extraordinary since its inception; thousands of Street Stores have been held globally in more than 210 cities. It is estimated that millions of items have been donated, helping almost half a million people in need.
The project offers homeless people the dignity of choice. They can browse the clothing on offer and choose things that fit and speak more to who they are as a person.
Most Street Stores were postponed and eventually cancelled due to the pandemic, but they are happening again, and this is how you can get involved.
The first winter Street Store is popping up at the end of May in Alberton North, Gauteng. We spoke to Rene Cloete, who is helping to plan the Alberton North Street Store. She said the community is really excited to give back in this way.
There are many ways people can help make this pop-up a success. Rene explained that they need 100 volunteers to help make the day run smoothly. They are preparing to support a total of 1500 people find their perfect clothing items.
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Rene says they are not only providing clothing at the shop. The Alberton Lions have donated hotdogs for all those who attend, and the organisers are also hoping to put on a pancake and coffee stand. They are calling on donations of pancake mixes to make this happen.
There is a great deal of work that goes into setting up an event like this. Rene is also calling on volunteers to help with preparations leading up to the big event. They need help organising and washing clothing, coat-hanger collections, donations of 1500 shopping bags and between 1500 to 2000 bottles of water.
There is a WhatsApp group you can join if you would like to volunteer your time or resources. You can join that here. Coordination of donations and efforts will be managed via the group.
If you want to know more about the event, check out the details on the poster below.
If you do tidy the house and find some unwanted clothing, put it aside and chat with the Street Store team to set up your own shop in your area. You can find out more about the organisation via its website here.
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