to sneak in a plug for a local charity here to get a bit more traffic? (Edinburgh MNers, please look)

[YakovsNubianBlingExplosion]

A recent thread (not the relative poverty thread, another one from a week or so back) led me to look into donating the dc's outgrown clothes, and my maternity gear, to a shelter rather than a "normal" charity shop.

I like the idea of especially the children's clothes, which were chosen with lots of love, being passed on directly to people who are themselves in need rather than sold for a few pence in an Oxfam shop; somehow it feels to me that they probably do more direct good this way (I know this is subjective and possibly naive but, whatever).

So. Scottish Women's Aid referred me to a local shelter who directed me to this charity, Edinburgh Clothing Store, which is where they refer women and families who have had to leave their homes. The ECS people really impressed me and it looks like the charity is not widely known, so I am posting here in the hope of persuading local MNers to think about donating to them. They do uplifts :)

If you intend to donate, and would like the contact phone number that I was given by the shelter (I think it is someone's home, so I don't want to post it here), please PM me and I will pass it on.

Link here to a PDF FourSquare report from a few years back which describes the charity, and here is the blurb from that report for those who don't feel like clicking:

The Edinburgh Clothing Store (ECS) offers clothing, bedding, curtains and towels free to
those in need in the City. This is its primary purpose. Additionally however, it gives the 21
volunteers who run it a friendly and positive environment in which they can gain satisfaction
from working to help vulnerable people.

Our service users have all been referred to ECS by a caring agency; in many cases these are
other Four Square projects, but in total over 120 different agencies refer people to us.
The circumstances in which people require our services vary. Some service users need
clothes to attend job interviews, funerals or wedding, while others require bedding and curtains
for a new tenancy. For some who have only one set of clothes, a basic change gives them a level
of self-respect. We also regularly see children who require clothes for school.

Over the past few years there has been a huge increase in the number of young homeless
people referred to us ? many with drug or mental health problems. More recently there has
been a notable increase in the number of asylum seekers and Eastern Europeans sent to us for
aid. We aim to make ECS easy to access and non-stigmatising for everyone.

Thanks. I'll do that. Have been intending to do something like this.

and one more thing to say: I am not affiliated with this charity, and also, I'm not new, am a regular wearing frivolous namechange (DirtyM) -- in case anyone is suspicious

ooh a post! Thank you

Bump. It is a foggy Saturday night in February, and everyone is skint - there must be other Edinburgh folk here.

It's true. Everyone is skint.

maybe stick it in MN local?