How to…

Salvation Army clothing bank

YOU’RE never going to be too far from a Salvation Army clothing bank in any town or village, because generally there will be one on the site of a Tesco, Asda, Morrisons or Co-op store. We have about 8,100 across the UK.

As well as clothing, such as coats, scarves, jeans and T-shirts, you can put in other textiles, including bedding and towels, as well as paired shoes and handbags.

If items are bagged, they’re easier to collect – but actually we don’t want to see plastic bags being used. We need to be heading towards a point where items are donated loose.

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit. Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

If an item of clothing is tatty, you can still put it in, because, if it cannot be reworn, it can be reused for a variety of things – for example, in industries that use textiles for wiping machinery or for soundproofing in vehicles or buildings. We don’t want damp clothing or anything that has already been used for wiping oil or paint, for example.

We have a team who are constantly travelling round collecting what has been donated. We’ve got 250 charity shops around the country, so we look to see if they need stock. But they don’t always want more – in which case we sell what we have collected to other textile sorters and graders in the UK and to audited customers overseas. Regardless of where we sell to, all the money is given back to The Salvation Army for it to use in its work.

Some people find it hard to understand what recycling textiles has to do with a church such as The Salvation Army. We are looking after the planet, which is God’s creation. We are trying to address the environmental problem that the world is facing.