Once a year the ÏDKIDS community gives every employee the opportunity to take a day off to volunteer at a charity so they can actively help children for themselves.
For one of these volunteer days our employees went to lend a hand at Amitié Partage in Roubaix which needed help refurbishing its clothes sorting area. The charity helps 2,000 families each year by providing them with basic necessities, especially new and second-hand clothing.
It is the second time that ÏDKIDS employees have been involved in this project.
Some feedback
- Saskia, store concept manager, and Hélène, works manager: “Our relationship with Amitié Partage started in 2016 through the foundation, which had supported the charity for several years. In the beginning it was more focused on skills-based volunteering. Amitié Partage needed to renovate two rooms: its clothes sorting room (where all clothing donations are dropped off) and its changing room (an area where the families choose their clothes). We had several meetings with the charity managers to understand their needs (e.g. their way of working, frequency of donations and expectations) so that we could maximise the use of these areas. We also gave the charity some fixtures and fittings from our warehouse in Roubaix, and one of our suppliers donated the last bits and pieces. Our association with Amitié Partage was timed to perfection! We wanted to improve working conditions for the volunteers who give their time and energy to help families in need every day. The charity spent several months on the refurbishment and then we turned up with the full works/maintenance team on 20 February to sort through the clothing donations. There was an impressive selection! We sorted them by type (e.g. men/women/children, sweaters/skirts/trousers) and by size, putting any unusable items to one side. We were part of this project right from the beginning, and 20 February was the culmination of all our hard work. But the relationship between the foundation and Amitié Partage doesn’t stop there – quite the opposite! At the sorting day we met some knitters from the Love Maille community initiative currently underway at Jacadi.”
- Olivier, Okaïdi head of maintenance and safety: “I had a really good day. We felt very welcome and there was a friendly atmosphere between the ÏDKIDS staff and the charity workers. It’s always surprising to see how passionate charity workers are. You can tell they’re determined to do their best for people in need, and they’re always very humble. Well done to all the volunteers who take part in this valuable community work.”
- Jérémie,Rigolo Comme La Vie works and maintenance manager: “A very busy but emotionally rewarding day thanks to the strong connection between the works team and Amitié Partage. Their generosity made it all the more enjoyable, with a great end result! Many thanks to the foundation!“
- Yasmina, member of Amitié Partage: “The friendly and dedicated ÏDKIDS team outdid themselves! They transformed the sorting room with their professionalism and good humour!”
The social integration charity supports some of the poorest families in Roubaix by helping individuals and groups find work, providing emergency basics for 600 of the most disadvantaged families, organizing cultural workshops for children and their parents, and supporting older children with their education. 
