A South African in the Netherlands is working to send 100 warmer tomorrows back home to those who need them most.
Maastricht, Netherlands (07 May 2026) – Loralee splits her time between Johannesburg and the Netherlands. While abroad, she’s rallying support to collect 100 winter jackets to send back to South Africa before June, when winter is at its coldest.
Loralee founded The Forgotten Lot, an initiative that collects lost and forgotten winter jackets from venues like bars, restaurants, and student spaces across the Netherlands, giving them a second life by sending them back home, where millions of people in need face the cold without enough to wear.
Every jacket added to the cause has been left unclaimed and forgotten for months before The Forgotten Lot puts it to good use.
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The initiative was born when Loralee accompanied a friend searching for a lost jacket and realised just how many items are abandoned by people who never return to reclaim them. These items collect dust and may eventually be thrown away.
‘I noticed that there were so many jackets lying on the floor and left over at the end of a night out,’ she says. ‘There have been times I’ve had to go with friends to try and find a lost jacket and I noticed that many of these places have overflowing storage where people have just not come and collected whatever item they’ve lost. And so I thought, if these items are just lying here or are going to be potentially thrown away, why not actually put them to good use?’
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This Grade 2 Teacher Is Running Her Socks Off for Vrygrond's Pets!To kick things off, she launched the 100 Jacket Challenge, encouraging friends, followers, and supporters across the Netherlands to donate and help reach the goal of 100 winter jackets, keeping 100 people warm through the South African winter.
To fund the shipping back home, Loralee is also collecting and reselling all kinds of pre-loved clothing online and at markets across the Netherlands.
So far, 29 winter jackets have already been collected, cleaned, and are ready to make their way back to SA once the goal is met.
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Donations are welcome from anywhere in the Netherlands, and Loralee has offered to collect all items free of charge.
If you don’t have a winter jacket to donate, or you’re not in that part of the world, you can still support The Forgotten Lot by following, sharing, and spreading the word!
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