On Sunday, December 14th, the San Francisco Bay Area branch of AYUDH, our youth wing, participated in a clothing give-away in collaboration with Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), a local organization that helps to rehabilitate the homeless, destitute and people with disabilities.
Leading up to the event, AYUDH members collected over 30 bags of clothing from Embracing the World volunteers and organized the clothing by size. BOSS invited participants in their programs to come to their downtown Oakland, California center, where AYUDH set up tables heaped with clothing. As people came in from the cold, they were greeted as guests. AYUDH members lead the participants from table to table creating the atmosphere of a shop so that participants could choose their clothing with dignity. People were as happy to receive, as the AYUDH members were to give.
Additionally, AYUDH set aside the nicer donations for BOSS’ Workforce Development Program. BOSS is setting up an ‘interview closet,’ for people who are trying to get a job but cannot afford interview clothing.
AYUDH member Amethyst expressed that she had learned that even small acts can have large impacts. Little things like a dress shirt or the right shoes can lead to someone getting a job that might not be able to otherwise and this can have a profound effect on their lives.
