Charitable Shopping That Helps Communities @ BLESS Shop

BLESS Shop

FB : BLESS Shop

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Last week, I went to BLESS Shop (also known as Kedai BLESS) at CITTA Mall Ara Damansara. A project under SIBKL Community Berhad, it is a fully non-profit organisation selling donated secondhand as well as new items, such as clothes, shoes, bags, toys, books and even furniture.

Aiming to bless the lower income communities with a place to shop for low-priced items at high quality, BLESS Shop also hopes to raise money through selling second-hand items while contributing to charitable causes. Their net profit are channelled to two main groups – the Myanmar Refugee Children and drug rehabilitation centres.

BLESS provides financial support to the Myanmar refugee children by providing meal allowance daily and education materials. 12 Myanmar refugee children learning centres within the Klang Valley benefit from BLESS, including the Karen Learning Centre, Sunway Mentari Learning Centre, Zomi Learning Centre, Zophei Learning Centre and others.

In addition to channelling funds to these causes, BLESS donates second-hand garments, household items and kitchen utensils to Orang Asli communities like Kg Cheros in Cameron Highlands, Kg Terkis and Kg Kiol in Jerantut, and Kg Jentung A and B in Slim River. When needed, BLESS donates second-hand goods to disaster-struck areas and the needy.

BLESS also partners with Shuang Fu (Dual Blessings) to give them at least one tonne of bundled clothings every week. As 10% of the donations that the public gives are in non-saleable condition, it is sent for recycling through Shuang Fu. BLESS does not believe in letting anything go to waste.

Over the past decade of operations, BLESS has kept to its promise of blessing people every step of the way, which is why it also creates jobs for single mothers, Orang Asli and people from other underserved groups in need of income.

In 2015, GoGet.my, a local errand-running service also partnered with BLESS to collect donations from the public. BLESS also partnered with The Edge Media Company in December 2015 to collect donations from its staff.

In 2016, BLESS assisted in funding the opening of a new Kenosis drug rehabilitation centre in Miri. In the coming years, BLESS hopes to reach out to more causes throughout the whole of Malaysia which are in need of donations.

BLESS also has a long-standing partnership with local Chinese media Sin Chew Jit Poh. Sin Chew’s charity arm hosts an annual donation drive at their Petaling Jaya premises to collect donations from their readers and the general public.

Other organisations have seen the blessings that flow through Kedai BLESS and have joined BLESS in the pursuit of making Malaysia a better place. Retail companies like Tangs Malaysia and Zalora Malaysia have partnered with BLESS by providing them with old stock to be sold at the various BLESS outlets.

BLESS Shop is made up of 5 physical retail outlets, which strategically located at high traffic areas such as Midvalley Megamall and 1 Utama, as well as in lower income neighbourhoods like Ara Jaya :

MIDVALLEY MEGAMALL
Unit CP-01, Level P1, Center Court Midvalley Megamall, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours : 10 am – 10 pm daily

CITTA MALL
F22, 1st Floor, Citta Mall, Jalan PJU 1A/46, PJU 1A, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours : 10 am – 10 pm daily

ONE UTAMA SHOPPING CENTRE
(old wing – one floor down from The Body Shop / Patchi)
LG126, Lebuh Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours : 10 am – 10 pm daily

ARA JAYA (D’aman Crimson)
K-BG-02, Jalan PJU 1A/41, PJU 1 Ara Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours : 10 am – 5:30 pm (Mon – Fri) ; 10 am – 5 pm (Sat) ; Closed on Sunday

BLESS SHOP @ SMCC
CP-K-6, Ground Floor, Sunway Mas Commercial Centre, Jalan PJU 1/3G, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hours : 10:30 am – 5:30 pm (Mon – Fri) ; 10:30 am – 5 pm (Sat) ; 9:30 am – 1:30 pm (Sun)

BLESS is always welcoming of corporate partnerships and corporate donations of new items to be sold at its outlets. The public who wishes to donate can drop off their donations at any one of BLESS’ 5 outlets.

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More photos at FOOD Malaysia facebook page, a Malaysian food and lifestyle blogger since 2010

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