It all began with a small sect of the Phoenix Laundry family deciding to help the flood victims in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra. The downpour of rain had wrecked everything. The unrelenting rains lay everything wastes with people losing they’re all to the unforgiving water currents. Homes were destroyed, the crops in the fields spoilt by the waters, every building that once stood proud reduced to debris, and hopes were broken with no help in sight for the residents.
The idea was to gather all unused garments from friends, relatives, families, customers, acquaintances, and anyone that our team members were in contact with. These garments were then washed, folded, and sent over to the people in need in these districts. What was meant to be a small initiative in helping others became a cause bigger than anything we had imagined. Our expectations were high but what we received in return was much higher than expected. This was the beginning of our campaign – #Phoenix4Good!
The day the campaign began, calls and messages started pouring in from everyone who heard about the initiative. Excited and overwhelmed with the response, Phoenix geared up with more enthusiasm toward the completion of the campaign. Each member of the Phoenix family spoke to their contacts about the initiative and brought help from unexpected places. Many residential complexes also decided to be a part of this initiative by inviting us over and handing over their share of love for the needy in the form of garments that can be given away to people who have lost all their possessions.
Over the course of the campaign, we received 3000 plus a number of garments which, though difficult to handle, were managed by our operations team effortlessly.
We reached our destination a week after we had finished collecting all of the garments and treating them. What we came across was heart-breaking to witness. Schools and houses were converted to debris. Farms were all destroyed. There was no drinking water available.
But even when living in such conditions, the people there were selfless in helping us in our campaign. Local people there helped us in distributing the garments. Small children gave us a helping hand too. We could see their gratitude towards us for being there.
While our little initiative was meant for the betterment of the people affected by the floods, we all learned a valuable lesson too. No help is ever small. Even the smallest of our actions and sacrifices can mean the world to people who have lost everything. And when the time comes to help again, we will know that we can all do something in our very own way to make life a little safer and better for those we call our fellow men.
