As part of regular updates to uniform requirements in Scotmid Food stores, Semichem and our warehouse, Scotmid Co-operative receive and store samples at our Head Office in Edinburgh. Over time, these samples will go out of date and we then find ourselves with surplus uniform that cannot be used in stores.
As a result, Scotmid’s property department made contact with a number of charities in the UK and abroad to see if they were interested in donations of clothes, which they could then pass on. These two charities benefited from these donations:
Glasgow the Caring City
Glasgow the Caring City is a Scottish charity which supports children in crisis here at home and overseas. They do this by supporting programmes of health, education and security, while working in partnership with local communities, for a sustainable future. They recognise that whole community solutions create stronger environments for children and their families. Rev Neil Galbraith came to collect three boxes of older unbranded uniform samples from Head Office and planned to distribute these through the charity to those in need. http://www.glasgowthecaringcity.com
Project Harar
Every year, the charity Project Harar sends a team of dedicated surgeons and nurses to Ethiopia to change faces and change lives. Project Harar work out of the government hospital in Addis Ababa, training the Ethiopian doctors at the same time.
This amazing charity performs facial reconstruction in Addis changing the lives of people in Ethiopia, who would otherwise have no hope. Many of these people are stigmatised from their communities because of the way they look, unable to work or go to school. These patients come to us with literally the clothes they are wearing, and it is through the kind donations of people like those at Scotmid Co-Operative that we are able to provide them with clothes, toiletries, food and toys for the duration of their stay.
In February 2018, the project were able to change the lives of 52 patients over a two week operating period. One of these patients is Gamechu. A 19 year old boy. Orphaned at a young age, and abandoned by the rest of his family because of how he looked. Living on the streets and making money by begging. Project Harar have successfully operated on him and now as a charity are supporting him by helping him find employment and somewhere to live. Truly a wonderful story.
None of this would ever be possible without the amazing team, who all volunteer their time and all the donations that Project Harar receive and take out with them. Truly Changing Faces. Changing Lives. http://www.projectharar.org