It takes place at St. Andrew’s Church Hall on Saturday, May 3
Cost of living pressures are leading many to find alternative ways to save.
One community action group has been helping to ease the burden on residents for the past eight years through free giveaway events.
In advance of their next one, volunteers at the Grateful Bread have been busy collecting and organising new or good quality clothes, shoes and accessories, bedding, toiletries and miscellaneous household goods.
“Bermuda is becoming increasingly unaffordable and so any way that you can find ways to sort of save, I know that for myself as well, you know, you’re going to do that,” said long-time volunteer, Alison Swan.
“You look on the table here, there’s a brand-new pair of jeans that you can get for free that you don’t need to spend that part of your salary on.”
Previous giveaway events have seen a turnout of around 400 people, depicting the prevalence of need.
New GB volunteer, Sam Cabot, told us what inspired him to come on board.
“Growing up in Bermuda, I had an older sibling, and I wore a lot of his old clothes as hand-me-downs,” he said. “So, I knew how much new clothes cost and how expensive it is here. It’s also nice to give things a new life, especially when I was in the UK, thrifting and things like that became popular. So, it’s nice to make things not end up in landfill and contribute to a good cause with my spare time. It’s nice to be part of this community.”
The Grateful Bread is not a registered charity and does not solicit or receive funds – a structure which they say allows them to expand their reach.
Ms Swan explained, “It’s one of the few organisations in Bermuda that is completely run by volunteers, meaning that there’s no administrative costs included so every single thing goes to the people who they serve, and I think that is a very, very exciting proposition for Bermuda.”
The next giveaway event will take place at St. Andrew’s Church Hall on Church Street, next to People’s Pharmacy on Saturday, 3rd May from 1pm to 4:30pm.
While the storage container is already bursting with goods, donations will still be accepted on the day from noon, with volunteers at the ready to sort.
Meanwhile, the group is encouraging all to attend.
Founder Juliana Snelling said, “It’s first come, first served, although we do give out tickets to each guest for new toiletries or something like an amazing mattress, so everybody gets to share. So, we hope to get hundreds. Please come, if someone next door is an invalid or needs you to shop for them, please come and shop for your neighbour or anyone in need, but everyone is welcome.”
More volunteers are still needed for the event next weekend, and those interested can contact the GB team via email at gratefulbda@gmail.com.
