Thread Together - sustaining
communities and the environment
Thread Together - sustaining communities and the environment
Bronwyn Harris, Thread Together Program Coordinator, Anglicare WA Op Shops
Did you know that across Australia one in eight adults and one in six children do not have adequate access to essential clothing? Further still did you know that one third of all new clothing goes from factory to landfill? Anglicare WA has been working to solve both issues since 2021.
In April that year Anglicare WA brought the Thread Together program to Perth. Thread Together saves new clothing from going to landfill by providing these clothes directly to people in need.
Since its establishment in 2021 Thread Together has provided 2,289 people with brand new clothing - diverting 13,367 items from landfill and into the hands of people within our community who really need a hand.
Through Thread Together we partner with hundreds of fashion retailers, including Under Armor, Calvin Klien, Athletes Foot, Sportscraft and RM Williams.
We believe that we can help restore dignity and hope for men, women and children who are going through a tough time by providing the opportunity to choose a complete wardrobe of new clothing. Choosing colours that they like, items that suit their personal style and are appropriate for the season (of life and weather) makes an enormous difference in how someone views themselves.
Thread Together WA connects with over 20 community partners throughout Perth and arranges for our custom-built mobile wardrobe to visit their locations, taking the clothing directly to the people who need it most.
By visiting a variety of community services in a range of locations we provide clothing for people who may be experiencing homelessness, people who are looking for employment, and for many people facing other challenges in their lives.
It is the people our team meets when out on the road that make being a part of Thread Together so special. We met Dave in Mid 2021. He is a cheerful guy with a huge welcoming smile. Dave had been released from a stay in prison and was attending a mentoring program to support his reintegration into the community.
While helping him choose some casual comfortable clothing, Dave mentioned that he had been journalling and working on ways to make better decisions. Decisions that reflected who he wanted to be. Dave told us that he had never owned enough clothing to be able to make choices based on what he wanted to wear; his clothing was a response to necessity, it was always just what he could find that was cheap. Choosing clothing that he liked from the van was a first for Dave and allowed him to think about how he wanted to be seen. Not only was he well-dressed, but he had also found a wonderful way to practice the decision-making skills he had been working on.
