A humble movement by a group of Good Samaritans is capturing the hearts of the people in Kerala. Anyone can walk into a store run by the group called ‘Team Tagore’ at Mittayi Theravu in Kozhikode and choose dress of their choice free of cost. Yes, in a heartening display of compassion and community spirit, this group of benevolent individuals has been running the ‘Dress Bank’ to provide free dresses to those in need for the last three years.
‘Team Tagore’ was launched by a group of individuals in Kozhikode as a WhatsApp group during the Covid crisis to provide free food and medicine to those in need. However, they decided to continue with their noble mission to help the people and launched the Dress Bank initiative, recognising the importance of addressing the basic needs of the less fortunate in our community.
“The Dress Bank collects a fresh set of clothes or those that are in good shape to use from like-minded people in Kozhikode and passes them on to the less privileged. Our ultimate vision is to ensure that no one goes without the basic necessity of proper clothing,” said Shuhaib K P, vice president of Team Tagore. “We collect all types of clothes from the people. But we ensure that the dresses are in good shape for people to use. Some donors buy a fresh set of clothes and donate them to us,” he said.
The Dress Bank will be open from 5 pm to 6 pm on Friday and Saturday. “We have also started to deliver dresses to people in other districts. We are getting tremendous support and collaboration from the local community,” Suhaib told “Open Digest.”
The activities of Team Tagore are managed by three main committee members – Chairman Aadam Kadiriakath, Shuhaib K P, Shahith Lathif and Ismail Bisarat, and supported by a 13-member subcommittee. Around 38 people actively coordinate the activities of Team Tagore for the smooth functioning of the Dress Bank. “We are getting calls from other districts also, and recently we delivered a package of clothes in Wayanad,” added Shuhaib.
As the Dress Bank movement gains momentum, the organisers hope to expand their reach and establish a network of volunteers and collection centres throughout the state, ensuring that their goodwill touches every corner of the community. The initiative stands as a shining example of how collective kindness and community engagement can bring about positive change in society.
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