The Distribution Room is a facility in town where we have used clothes and shoes for those in need, primarily serving the families of children who participate in our Homework Clubs and SLS program.
The idea of the distribution room came from an observation made over the years of ministry. In the past, every time our team would give out clothes, shoes or other goods to people in their villages, there would be problems. When we let people look at the goods at the same time, they would often fight over the things we would bring. Next we tried setting up all of the things in a room to let people come look one at a time, but many would complain that those before them took what was best and that they couldn't find anything. We also tried to give the goods in boxes to people in their homes, but the clothes and shoes often did not fit them well.
To avoid all of these issues, we finally decided to have a distribution room in town. We receive donations from people in town and from some local thrift stores to have available for people to come and choose what they'd like. We intend to use this facility primarily as a way of rewarding the families of the children that attend the homework clubs and come to the SLS program. It is also a good time for us to connect with the parents of the children we work with on a weekly basis.