Clothing Bank
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Giving to the Porter Clothing Bank
Many, many individuals and companies have been extremely generous in giving clothes and boots. Transporting these items to Nepal is still the big problem. Suggestions:
Try to find someone going there who could take a bag
Put an advertisement in your local trekking shop asking for people who could take some clothing out.
Ask the airline you are travelling on for excess luggage Remember Nepalese porters are generally much smaller people than white Westerners. Jackets in the 36 to 44 size range are best (S and M), pants with waist sizes 26 to 34, and boots of maximum size 9 and smaller (size range of men's 6 1/2 to 8 are probably most common).
Arrange for gear and donations of money to be picked up from your hotel or drop it off at one of the Porters’ Progress offices in Kathmandu or Lukla.
Porters Progress was founded in Nepal in May 2000 by Ben Ayers, a writer, activist and climber. Ben started with 12 jackets in a closet! By 2004 Porters Progress Nepal had fitted out over 5000 porters with clothing and offered nearly 8,000 English and First-Aid classes; in 2005 over 9,000 porters visited the offices in Nepal.
Today the clothing bank continues its free service to loan sleeping bags, jackets, boots and sunglasses to hundreds of porters each season. However over time the kit wears out from the harsh environment in which the porters work. With your help we can keep the Clothing Bank well stocked.