Blankets, sandals and umbrellas: a record of the seasons 2021 to 2025

The trust’s records show its giving following the weather. Blankets are photographed in the cold months, sandals in the heat and umbrellas in the rainy season.

Dates in this post are the dates in the file names of the photographs on the volunteers’ phones.

Blankets: 16 days between December 2021 and December 2024

The blanket and clothes folder holds 48 photographs from 16 days, from 4 December 2021 to 8 December 2024. They show tall stacks of striped blankets, a volunteer handing clothes to a woman and her child, and a group of families at a roadside receiving blankets. A newspaper clipping in the records reports a blanket distribution for homeless people.

Sandals: two days in 2025

The sandal folder holds 38 photographs from two days, 10 May and 16 June 2025. A volunteer kneels in the road and fits a pair of sandals on a man’s feet. A woman sits on a kerb in new sandals. A stack of sandals stands in front of the trust’s backdrop.

Umbrellas: one picture, 8 September 2024

A single photograph, dated 8 September 2024, shows umbrellas in bright colours piled up in front of the trust’s backdrop. It is the only umbrella record, so the trust does not claim a drive; it says only that the umbrellas were collected for giving.

Why the seasons matter

A blanket given in May and sandals given in December help nobody. The records suggest that the volunteers plan by season, which is how a small trust makes a small gift count.

How to give

• Blankets in October and November, so they are ready before the cold.
• Sandals in April and May, before the roads are at their hottest.
• Umbrellas before the monsoon.
• Always call first so that a volunteer can meet you.

See the clothes, blankets and sandals page for the photographs. The trust number is 97036 30893 (call and PhonePe).