THE kingdom’s energetic City Walkers have put their best foot forward to help kick start the ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’ community campaign, writes Shilpa Chandran.

GulfWeekly has linked up with Bahrain City Centre to back the mall’s 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.
 
Braving the baking summer sunshine and even some empty stomachs, members of the City Walkers group made no excuses to shy away from their weekly exercise routine once they had dropped off their contributions on the first day of the holy month.

Evelyn Diack, 49, a housewife from Sanabis, said: “I think this is a fantastic idea. I donated a bag containing an assortment of clothes. I hope to bring along some books later on this month.”

Although currently unemployed, Jalal Al Shehabi, 40, was one of the first walkers to contribute a big black bag filled with clothes, baby wear and sandals to the cause.

Mr Shehabi, from Shakhura, explained: “There are always people worse off than you and this is the ideal season to play your part for charity.”

Kundan Shah, 58, a housewife from Manama, said: “This is a very good initiative and gives shoppers the opportunity to support a good cause. I am definitely going to be bringing more things for the box.”

Flo Richardson, a housewife from Seef, said: “There are often things at home that are too nice and you don’t really want to throw them away and such a charity drive as this is an ideal solution.”

Once the donations were made, the City Walkers were led away by an instructor for their keep fit routine.

Bahrain City Centre’s asset director Ray Scott said: “We have seen a great start to the campaign thanks to the City Walkers.

“We hope it grows even bigger and better this year. Ramadan is a time to reflect on the lives of those who are less fortunate than ourselves and the campaign is the perfect opportunity to reach out to those who need it most.”
This year the ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’ community campaign in Bahrain will be working in conjunction with Awali Thrift Shop.

The renowned facility has been supporting those in need throughout the kingdom for 43 years.

The collection box is located on the ground floor near the customer service desk.

All collected items will be forwarded to Awali Thrift Shop organisers for distribution.