Neat Freak is proud to launch the second annual Shirt Off Your Back Initiative, set to run throughout the month of May.
Started by Neat Freak’s CEO, Isabelle de Grandpre, in memory of her late father Pierre Robert, the SOYB Initiative seeks to collect pre-loved clothing for distribution to the Highway Hospice and the Open Door Crisis Centre (based in KZN).
As Neat Freak encourages its clients to de-clutter their lives and belongings, the SOYB Initiative is a way for people to do this and help others at the same time.
“Giving the shirt off your back is a saying that intimates that you are so generous to the point of being selfless. While we don’t propose that you give all your belongings away and keep nothing, we’re hoping that this initiative will highlight that many of us have so much and that de-cluttering and donating your pre-loved clothing might actually ‘put a shirt on someone’s back’!” says Isabelle.
Neat Freak has often donated items to both beneficiaries on behalf of clients and last year the SOYB campaign saw each charity receiving over 60 boxes. An added advantage of the campaign is to highlight the extremely worthwhile work that each charity does.
The Open Door Crisis Centre is a holistic, multifaceted one-stop crisis and trauma centre offering counselling, social services and support groups to people in KZN. The Highway Hospice evolves from the vision that every person with a terminal illness deserves quality, meaningful life during the time that is left to him or her.
“My father was a generous and supportive man who was taken from us a month after his cancer diagnosis. In the last year our family was hit again by this terrible disease when our mother was diagnosed with a carcinoma and had to have major surgery to remove it from her face”, says Isabelle.
“As a family we understand the need to get support from others. The Open Door Crisis Centre and the Hospice are so supportive of their community through their various programmes and we are proud to continue our association with them.”
Both charities will be distributing the clothing to the community via various projects as well as selling it to raise funds for their programmes.
For more information about where you can donate your pre-loved clothing or if you’d like to help, call Isabelle on 082 673 9740, email her info@neatfreak.co.za or go to the Neat Freak Facebook page for the most up to date information.