Inspire Foundation Malta recently relaunched its signature charity shops in a bid to welcome a wider audience. Named ‘Give & Take charity shops’, they are situated in Ħamrun, Marsascala and a warehouse in Qormi.
“This wasn’t just a matter of renaming our shops and designing a pretty logo to go with them,” said Giovanna Mirabile from Inspire.
“The entire way we run our shops has been restructured to increase efficiency and ultimately offer a better product to our customers, which translates to us being in a better position to support the attendees of our programmes.”
The thrift shops have gone through an extensive refurbishment process.
Christabel Tonna, Inspire’s retail operations executive, said: “You would be forgiven if you wouldn’t be able to recognise our shops as they now blend easily with mainstream retail shops, thereby dignifying the experience of clients visiting a thrift shop. The prices are still unbeatable, however, as we have kept them at an absolute low to be able to support all members of society through our shops as well.”
Through its Give & Take Charity shops, the foundation provides items in good condition at reasonable prices. Items are donated by the public or by companies and income generated goes directly towards funding its operation.
The benefits of Give & Take charity shops is threefold: they provide items at a low price for those who cannot afford to buy from conventional shops; they give a new lease of life to used items, promoting the value of sustainability and reducing items that are sent to landfills, as well as generate income for Inspire’s programmes and services, which provide support to children and adults with a disability and their families.
Members of the public can donate clothes in good condition, clothing accessories such as jewellery, household Items, vintage Items and collectables, soft furnishings, DVDs and CDs, electronic products, toys and board games, frames and decorative Items, stationery and baby care items.
All donated items are sorted and organised by Inspire’s team and in turn distributed across the three outlets.
The restructuring of the outlets was done with the support of the invaluable funding and mentorship of the Malta Social Impact Awards, which helped make this ambitious project a reality. The refurbished establishments are situated in St Joseph High Street, Ħamrun; Trejqet il-Wied in Qormi; and at Inspire’s Therapy & Leisure Centre in Marsascala.
For more information, visit https://inspire.org.mt/charity shops.