Shop For Preloved Items While Supporting A Good Cause
BLESSing Its Way For A Good Cause
BLESS Shop a well-hidden gem is a project under SIBKL Community Berhad. It is a fully non-profit organisation. Kedai BLESS is made up of 5 physical retail outlets selling donated secondhand as well as new items, such as clothes, shoes, bags, toys, books and even furniture.
Each outlet is strategically located in high traffic areas such as:
- Midvalley Megamall
- 1 Utama, Old Wing
- Citta Mall
- D’man Crimson
- Sunway Mas Commercial Centre
BLESS’s objective is to bless the lower-income communities with a place to shop for low-priced items of high quality.
Hoping to raise money by selling second-hand items while contributing to charitable causes. The net profit earned by BLESS Shops is channelled to two main groups – the Myanmar Refugee Children and drug rehabilitation centres.
Supporting The Underprivileged
The money collected from sales goes to support their causes as well as their operational costs
BLESS provides financial support to the Myanmar refugee children by providing meal allowance daily and education materials. 12 Myanmar refugee children learning centres within the Klang Valley benefit from BLESS.
- Karen Learning Centre
- Sunway Mentari Learning Centre
- Zomi Learning Centre
- Zophei Learning Centre and others.
In addition to channelling funds to these causes, BLESS donates second-hand garments, household items and kitchen utensils to Orang Asli communities in:
- Kg Cheros in Cameron Highlands
- Kg Terkis and Kg Kiol in Jerantut
- Kg Jentung A and B in Slim River
When needed, BLESS donates second-hand goods to disaster-struck areas and the needy.
In 2016, BLESS assisted in funding the opening of a new Kenosis drug rehabilitation centre in Miri. In the coming years, BLESS hopes to reach out to more causes throughout Malaysia that need donations.
Over the past decade, BLESS has kept its promise of blessing people every step of the way, which is why it also creates jobs for single mothers, Orang Asli and people from other underserved groups who need income.
Previous Donation Campaigns
Many organisations have joined BLESS in the pursuit of making Malaysia a better place
BLESS also partners with Shuang Fu (Dual Blessings) to give them at least one tonne of bundled clothing every week. As 10% of the donations that the public gives are in non-saleable condition, it is sent for recycling through Shuang Fu. BLESS does not
believe in letting anything go to waste.
Other organisations have seen the blessings that flow through Kedai BLESS and joined BLESS in the pursuit of making Malaysia a better place.
Retail companies like Tangs and Zalora Malaysia have partnered with BLESS by providing old stock to be sold at the various BLESS outlets.
Previously in 2015, BLESS partnered with GoGet.my, a local errand-running service brand to collect donations from the public.
In the same year, BLESS also partnered with The Edge Media Company for a donation drive within their company.
Another long-standing partnership is with local Chinese media Sin Chew Jit Poh. Sin Chew’s charity arm hosts an annual donation drive at their Petaling Jaya premises to collect donations from their readers and the general public.
In 2016, the Sin Chew BLESS donation drive collected a record-breaking 14 tonnes worth of donations!
The History of BLESS
A group of women who came together with a common goal
BLESS began in 1999 by a group of women who came together with a common goal – they wanted to reach out to the community in a big way but did not know where to start. Without any funding, it was difficult to reach out to the underserved community.
That’s how they started by rummaging through their own homes to sell personal belongings at flea markets to get the ball
rolling. Word spread quickly and soon, donations poured in.
In 2004 and 2005, when neighbouring countries faced natural disasters, these women rallied and got more donations. But they did
not foresee that storage would become an issue for unsold donations.
To solve this problem, a generous donor gave Bless Ministry their first shop lot in Tasik Selatan, creating the first full-time BLESS Shop. Through the BLESS Shops, many lives have been touched and transformed – in both the lives of BLESS volunteers and staff as well as the underserved and lower-income communities.
How To Donate?
BLESS is always welcoming of corporate partnerships and donations of new items to be sold at its outlets
In the meantime, BLESS is always open for corporate partnerships and corporate donations of new items to be sold at its outlets. The public who wishes to donate can drop off their donations at any one of BLESS’ 5 outlets.
For more donation information, please check out their Facebook and Website.
What a better way to kill 3 birds with one stone: shop for preloved items while supporting a good cause and donate all at the same time?
