Just before opening time, the volunteers fill in the empty spaces in the racks. “That’s nice work,” says Janet van der Zee. “We try to hang it by color as much as possible.”
The ladies of Tweede Kans Clothing Westerveld do their best to make the clothing bank in Dwingeloo resemble an ordinary clothing store as much as possible, despite the fact that a lot of clothing is no longer new and is sold for a low price. Especially to customers with a small purse.
The clothing bank has always had about 300 customers, says Inge Wiarda. Recently, several dozen Ukrainian families have been added. According to Wiarda, distressing situations often arise, in which entire families sometimes have no more than what fits in a backpack.
“You have people who suddenly start crying and then you have the language barrier. We come a long way with Google Translate, but we don’t speak Ukrainian. We do our best, but the situations we face have an impact on my volunteers .”
The latter confirms volunteer Janet. “That touches you, because if a Dutch person then translates to us what is going on there, yes, that comes in and that affects me too. So that is tough.”
“The clothes hanging here are as good as new”, Wiarda says proudly as she walks past a clothes rack. “We have a wide range and that means we can be critical about what we hang.” Each item of clothing costs a customer a few euros. The proceeds are used to buy some items new. This mainly concerns underwear and, for example, menstrual products.
Wiarda pays the rent for the building on Entingheweg from her work as a supervisor for people who make use of the Social Support Act (Wmo). “So a full-time job,” she says about her work. “I’m happy with it.”
In addition to Ukrainian refugees, the volunteers of the clothing bank also see more people who do not officially have a low income, but who still run into financial problems. People with an old-age pension, who, for example, can no longer pay the energy bill.
“Unfortunately, that is the new group that is experiencing poverty. Due to the increased costs, they have less money to buy clothes from. So people with an AOW benefit can also shop here for free,” explains Wiarda.
“We live on donations,” she continues. Yet she is not worried about the run-up to the clothing bank. “We can always use toiletries, menstrual products, as well as new underwear and socks for children.”
Although many organizations are currently struggling with a volunteer shortage, the clothing bank does not have to worry about that. “The most important thing is that you and especially your volunteers find satisfaction in the work they do,” Wiarda . concludes