Initiative calls for baby clothes, shoes and boots

From a Mother to Another, the initiative from JoJo Maman Bébé, invited customers to start donating these items on February 1, and aims to reduce the shocking levels of clothing waste that end up in a landfill whilst helping those in need in the UK with distribution via food banks plus helping thousands of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.

Customers are requested to make up complete outfits to give something worthwhile this mother’s day.

Nearly a third of the UK’s clothing ends up in landfill, equating to 350,000 tonnes a year.

By extending the life of clothes by just three months of active use, carbon and water waste could be reduced by up to 5-10% a year.

Sending good quality, little worn hand-me-downs to those in need could mean they are worn by many more children.

The emergency clothing packs will be distributed by some of the Trussell Trust’s 420 food banks across the UK and by a number of partner charities on the ground in Lebanon.

Helen Franks from Trussell Trust explains why she jumped at the chance to get involved: “I am delighted Trussell Trust Foodbanks will be participating in the From A Mother To Another campaign with JoJo, it is a natural fit to The Trussell Trust’s ‘More Than Food’ approach, which offers additional services to help alleviate poverty in the UK.

“Over a third of three day emergency food supplies provided by Trussell Trust foodbanks go to children in crisis.

“From a Mother to Another is a perfect way for one mum to bring a little light and a lot of comfort to another.”

Laura Tenison, founder & CEO of JoJo, visited refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley on the Lebanese Syrian border late last year.

As a result JoJo launched an urgent appeal to collect winter shoes and boots for the children living in tents, now under snow.

Customers reacted with empathy and the thousands collected are currently being distributed on the ground to refugees with so little.

Laura explained what she found when visiting the camps: “The situation is dire and the millions of women and children living in makeshift tents are in urgent need of emergency humanitarian aid to help until it is safe to travel home – just a few miles across the border.

“They left Syria with whatever they could carry.

“Their children have outgrown their clothes long ago and are often in rags.

“The gift of a FAMTA pack brings tears of gratitude.

“Children are dying from the cold, we just had to help.”

JoJo Maman Bébé will cover the extensive costs of checking, sorting, shipping, customs clearance and managing the logistics of delivering the parcels to the partner charities in Lebanon and to the Trussell Trust’s food banks across the UK.

For information on how to donate, visit www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/FAMTA.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.chichester.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ChichesterObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @Chiobserver

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Chichester Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.