Surprise donation fills food shelf with more than just cans
Each day thousands of Vermonters rely on service organizations like the Chittenden County Food Shelf for meals they can’t afford.
But Saturday, staff prepared hangars and racks as local business owner Brett Lewis dropped off about 15-hundred articles of clothing.
Donor Brett Lewis tells us, “We have an embroidery screen printing and promotional products company so these are all our extra samples from last 20 years. It was something that we were planning to get rid of and we’ve always been looking for a good thing where we can help people as opposed to throwing it in a dumpster.”
And that charitable gift is helping the food shelf fill not only cupboards but closets. Geeda Adsikari and his brother are refugees from Nepal.
Geeda Adsikari comments, “These two are for me and this one is for my wife. I don’t have any money, dollars, so that’s why I’m coming here for the winter clothes.”
They arrived in Burlington just months ago. Each dollar they save on clothing can be spent on other needs.
“The rest of the money I use for the house rent, for my child, I have a small kid, household activities, food and so on.” adds Adsikari.
The food shelf typically offers a few dozen used clothing items.
But now there’s plenty of new apparel to choose from, including shirts, pants, and of course jackets and gloves.
“It’s just a small way for us to help out other people. After being here and seeing what happens and all that I think we’ll try and make it as much as we can an annual thing.” says Lewis.
Staff say they hope that’s the case, because unlike Christmas trees and the holiday season, need will always be present.
