The spread of free stalls

(Baonghean.vn) - In early 2017, a new form of charity unexpectedly appeared on the streets of Vinh – a free clothing donation center. Soon after, the movement spread from Vinh City to the western districts, receiving widespread support from people everywhere.

On the afternoon of January 5th, a unique clothing stand appeared in the Triangle Flower Garden on Le Loi Street in Vinh City. Here, people could bring clothes to share and use for free. On its opening day, many Vinh City residents were amazed by this novel clothing stand. The stand, approximately 1.8m high and 1.4m wide, has three compartments: the top for shirts and the two bottom for pants. It was set up by the roadside, with its doors open freely, and a sign clearly stating "Free Clothing Stand" was displayed above. Immediately after its opening, dozens of people came to see and take clothes home.

Free wardrobes available in Vinh City.

This free clothing stall was created by young people living in Vinh City with the aim of contributing to a warmer winter for the poor in the city. Vo Thi Tuyet Nhung, one of the two "owners" of the stall, said: "We saw that the free clothing donation center in Hanoi was very effective, so we wanted to set up a similar one in Vinh City. This idea only came to us about 3 days ago. After discussing it, we quickly started making the stall and organizing the initial clothing donation."

Even the young people running the "Warm Winter of Love, Those Who Have Extra Can Share, Those Who Need Can Take" program didn't expect the free clothing stall to receive such strong support from the public. The first 40-50 sets of used clothes displayed in the stall were well-received, and some people even brought clean, undamaged clothes from their own homes to share with others. The program sent a message of "civilized sharing" – anyone with clean, usable used clothes can bring them to this stall to share with others.

After its initial surprise, the people of Vinh City have gradually become accustomed to the free clothing donation box. Even on rainy days, people still come to the box to take clothes home. It's touching to see many homeless, lonely, and impoverished people coming here to choose clothes with cheerful and joyful spirits. Every day, the box receives between 2 and 6 bags of clothes, about a few hundred pieces, from Vinh City residents and philanthropists and clubs from all over. When there is a large supply, the young people in charge here will sort and then distribute them to various places. To date, about 15,000 pieces of clothing have been shared at the Vinh location. Speaking about establishing the free clothing donation box, Nguyen Minh Tuan, a student at Vinh University, said: "It stems from the heart, from empathy and love, we want everyone to join hands and share with the poor and needy."

Starting from Vinh City, the movement's reach has grown stronger, and by mid-January 2017, four more free clothing donation centers had been established in the Mekong Delta. Following Vinh were Quy Hop (January 13th), Que Phong (January 15th), Con Cuong (January 17th), and Quy Chau (January 19th). A notable feature of these centers is that they are located in the centers of the districts, near markets where ethnic minority people often go to buy, sell, and exchange goods.

The primary target group for these free clothing closets is impoverished ethnic minority communities. These closets are established and maintained by members of charitable clubs. From the city, free clothing has reached remote villages, helping to alleviate the difficulties faced by people in the province's most isolated areas. Residents can choose clothes from the closets themselves, or volunteers can deliver them directly to their homes through the forests. This marks the first time free clothing stalls have appeared in the western districts of the province.

In Que Phong, Nguyen Hung Cuong (36 years old) said that the free clothing cabinet, located at the market intersection near the district's cultural center, had to have tarpaulins added after it opened so people could choose clothes. To date, more than 6,000 pieces of clothing have been distributed. A woman from Chau Kim commune, visiting the cabinet, shared: "This morning, I saw the free clothing selection at the market, so I chose a few outfits for my children. I was worried about not having enough money to buy clothes for Tet, but now I don't have to worry about money anymore." Next year, it is expected that there will be about 8-10 more free clothing cabinet locations in the district.

According to Hoang Hien Ly (26 years old) from Con Cuong, the free clothing cabinet is located at the market intersection, next to Highway 7, and is established and maintained by the Sen Vang Charity Club. Initially, there were only two clothes racks, but later tarpaulins were added to expand the space. The clothing cabinet has truly brought warmth to many poor Dan Lai ethnic people living near the Vietnam-Laos border during the winter. Although it has only been in place for a week, more than 5,000 pieces of clothing have already been shared.

Many people from ethnic minority groups came to choose clothes at the free clothing cabinet in Que Phong district.

Free clothing donation centers throughout the province will remain open until the 28th day of the Lunar New Year before temporarily closing. Some centers initially planned to close earlier, but due to high demand, they extended their operating hours. In the first few weeks, the free clothing donation centers received strong support and sharing from the online community and local residents, connecting with charitable organizations both within and outside the province, as well as major cities. Approximately 25,000 pieces of clothing have been distributed to people.

Although donating clothes to the poor has been around for a long time, creating a place where people can freely share is a completely new form of charity in our province. Besides the positive aspects that need to be promoted and expanded, there are still some limitations that need to be addressed, such as chaos during the selection process, taking what belongs to others, and even wealthy people choosing clothes...

The program "Warmth and Love in Winter: Those who have extra share, those who need take" is truly meaningful and practical. For the poor who have received support, this winter seems warmer. Vo Thi Tuyet Nhung, one of the two initiators of this program in Nghe An, couldn't hide her emotion: "I'm happy that it has achieved its purpose and spread widely. It doesn't matter who does it, what matters is the result and its benefits to the community."

Huy Thu