HELPING OUR COMMUNITY
Uniform Bank
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
Need help with school uniforms?
Helping the community
For young people to gain the education they need, have aspiration for and the tools to build a purposeful future, attendance at school is imperative. In response to this we set up a school uniform bank, which enables members of the community to receive up to two sets of uniform per child, accepting donations of old school uniform, or uniform which their child has grown out of.
This ‘swap shop’ concept allows community members to maintain a sense of dignity and pride in their ability to provide for their family. We have been able to create a positive environment in which families feel that are able to give something other than money in order to receive the uniform their children require. Donations are also received from school lost property boxes and from more affluent families whose children have outgrown their current uniform.
We need your donations!
Impact
Since opening in August 2016, we have provided 360 sets of uniform to families in Louth – approximately 3 families per week. Local schools fully support the uniform bank, placing leaflets within school foyer’s for parents and also donating the contents of their lost property boxes at the end of each term.
Have your children grown out of their school uniforms?
Future Plans
In spite of this positivity and generosity we know that many families are still put off accessing the Uniform Bank. The location of the Uniform Bank is not accessible and creates a physical barrier to access at a time when it is humbling enough for an individual to ask for such help.
We have plans to move the uniform bank to the front of the building with access directly from the street which would enable more members of the community who are in need to access our service without fear, embarrassment or associated stigma.
The current room where the uniform bank operates from will then be used as a base for the ‘Neon’ children’s group as well as other community activities.
The renovation to our building would give the uniform bank a permanent location and reduce the need for people to follow signs through the church building and face the perceived indignity of asking for directions. This will enable more members of the community who are in need to access our service without fear, embarrassment or associated stigma. It would also increase the amount of uniform that we are able to hold, providing a permanent home for the uniform bank allowing us to help more families.
Providing the uniform bank reduces the stress on families who are already struggling on the poverty line and are unable to financially provide school uniform. It reduces peer pressure and bullying from young people in relation to not having the correct uniform and sees them able to increase their attendance at school and engage in their education.
CONTACT US
School Uniform Request
If you are in need of school uniform, please contact the uniform bank team and we will be able to help you get you child set up form school.