Donating a household item that you no longer need is the best way to get it into the hands of someone who does. And with help from the Global Action Team (GAT), the Lions of Visakhapatnam Lions Club in Vizag, India have provided their community with a creative solution to the questions of “how” and “where” to connect donations to needs.
Every object you do not need has a person who does.
Creating a Solution
Answering these questions was only the first step, but Club Director Sonia Chopra Jain was on a mission to find a solution. She reached out to KV Rao, the District 316 A Zone Chairperson, to activate their GAT to begin brainstorming possible methods.
Inspiration came from a coffee shop in Venice. The custom was to order “one for the wall” along with your own. Then, the extra coffee would be placed on the “Wall of Kindness” for someone in need to take.
Filling a Need
The Visakhapatnam Lions Club decided to take the idea of the Wall of Kindness and implement it in their own community. They transformed an open area at their club headquarters into a wall where people could leave useful items for those in need to take discreetly. There are no security cameras, no check-out lines and no prying eyes—just an easy way to gather necessities. People simply leave items at the wall, and another person can come and pick them up.
Donations include clothing, books, utensils, suitcases and even mattresses. Cabinet Secretary Nageswara Rao Rongala muses how the wall never gets too full because “every object you do not need, has a person who does.”
The wall’s proximity to local hospitals provided an additional benefit by helping patients and their families retrieve items they had forgotten before their admission. Pajamas and slippers were especially helpful for family members or patients brought to the hospital for an emergency.
Engaging a Community
Rongala says that within just a month of its unveiling, the wall has inspired their community, as well as other service organizations, to donate and become more involved in helping those in need.
The wall has also helped raise the profile of Visakhapatnam Lions Club within the community. The club’s Wall of Kindness has been featured on television and in local and state newspapers, which has enhanced the image of Lions International. This, combined with the dedication of its Lions and support from the GAT, has helped district 316 A achieve positive membership growth and inspired many new Lions to begin their service journey.
What’s your GAT success story? Share your story with us and help us inspire other clubs to make an even bigger impact in their communities!
Christy Kneisel is an operations specialist for the Global Action Team at Lions Clubs International.
