Supporting a noble cause

Retailers at the Bahrain City Centre stepped out from their corporate offices to extend their support towards a good cause by making donations for the ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’ community campaign which continues to grow in strength each week.

GulfWeekly has linked up with the mall to back its initiative which encourages customers to donate everyday items many take for granted such as clothing, books, eye glasses and mobile phones.

A special collection box has been placed in the mall to allow big-hearted readers to make donations.

Managers called in at the mall with bags of donations from their staff as well as surplus stock to contribute to the cause.

The contemporary casual wear and dressy apparel sellers of the Majid Al Futtaim Fashion group, Juicy Couture and Jane Norman, have donated bags full of clothing along with accessories that will come in handy during Eid celebrations.

Raffi Sinanian, Juicy Couture store manager, said: “We are happy to be a part of such a worthy cause and will be donating clothing as well as accessories to the needy. This campaign is important to us and we encourage everyone to lend a helping hand.”

Jane Norman store manager Amro Ali Mokhel said: “This is a great opportunity for us to help the needy and with Eid around the corner what better way to ring in the festivities than with new attire.

“We will be providing casual wear such as denim for everyday use as well as party dresses and some accessories including bags and jewellery.”

Staff members from furniture brand Marina Exotic Home Interiors and kitchenware specialists Tavola also made their gracious contributions.

Syed Mukarram, Marina Exotic Home Interiors store manager, said: “It’s truly a great charity and City Centre is doing a good job in making this possible. As retailers, it gives us a chance to give back to the community and we are proud to be a part of it and donate to the needy.

“We will be donating three king-sized mattresses which will be distributed after Eid. Also, members of our team from all the branches in Bahrain will be donating clothing.”

Aside from clothing, furniture and kitchenware brands, staff members from Costa Coffee also made donations. Alessandra Faria, marketing executive, said: “Last year we participated in the campaign and it’s a great initiative for us to engage in as well because social responsibility is a very big part of Costa Coffee as a brand.

“We have our own Costa Foundation, which is an international organisation that helps the communities that grow our coffee beans including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ethiopia. So we really help these communities to develop themselves and, of course, when we have the opportunity to do something on a local level, such as taking part in this initiative, then it’s really great for us.

“We’ve asked our staff to donate items they may not use or need any more to a good cause. Then we gathered clothing from our families and friends. Some members of the team even bought new items.”

Goods donated will be sorted for distribution by members of the Al Noor Charity Welfare Society.

The collection box is located on the ground floor behind the customer services desk at the mall.