09/30/2020
In the run-up to World Homeless Day, October 10, we want to inspire you to take action yourself, just like Bas did in 2014! 🚀
This is Peter: he received the first Sheltersuit ever made. Bas: "I was super nervous, in the winter of 2014. After making the first prototype, I had to give it away to a homeless person who could use it. I went to an addiction clinic, where homeless people gathered during the day to stay warm. It was not a night shelter. I asked the supervisor if there was anyone who could use this jacket with a zip-on sleeping bag. One of them said, “Yes! Peter could, he is sitting there at that table.”
I saw Peter bent over at a table on the other side of the room. I walked up to him and asked: “Hey, are you Peter?" He growled: "Yes! Why? How do you know my name? What do you want from me?" I said, more nervous now: “Well, I made you something. If you like it and can use it, well, you can have it for free.” I pulled the coat out of the bag and he looked in amazement. "Was this made for me, especially for me?" I said: “Yes, I made this for you." He put on the coat and turned from a distant man into a very affectionate, sweet man with whom I had my picture taken.
Just before I left, he asked: “Can I share this coat with two of my friends? They have exhausted all legal remedies and are not entitled to night shelter.” That touched me. I said: “You don't have to share. I will make a few more.”
And the rest is history! 😉 This first prototype has grown into the Sheltersuit Foundation in the years that followed. The feeling with which Bas walked out the door that day is still the foundation's driving force.
“My design skills finally made a real difference to someone else. That still drives me today.” - Bas Timmer
It's almost World Homeless Day!
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