This festive season, here’s a chance to share some of your joy with others who aren’t as fortunate.

You can join hands with the Gurugram-based ‘Clothes Box Foundation’, led by 32-year-old Sajan Veerr Abrol, which is putting smiles on millions of people’s faces through their work.

Started as a hobby idea in 2013, Sajan began distributing used clothes to the poor in his neighbourhood.

Soon, he was joined by friends and the group began conducting frequent campaigns and drives across India.

From a local initiative to now a benchmark for upcycling, how did the Clothes Box Foundation manage this feat?

“It was a TV show that changed the game for us,” recalls Sajan.

He is referring to the Star Plus series titled ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ which told stories of people devoting their time to an altruistic cause.

When the Clothes Box Foundation idea was aired one night in 2015, the team received an outpouring of love from people across India.

That same year, Sajan quit his job as an analyst to devote all his energies to his social venture.

A decade since this decision, the 32-year-old is proud of having created a service that is transforming the retail landscape every day.

Whether it was the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, the recent floods in Chennai or the Nepal earthquake, the team has extended their efforts to those affected.

Today, not just Gurugram, the team has expanded their reach to Kashmir, Eastern India, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad among other cities.

- Each kilo of fabric recycled saves up to 31 kg of CO2 equivalents, says Sajan. - He adds that until now the venture has saved “over 23,126 tonnes of CO2”. - To date, the venture has repurposed 7,46,000 kg of clothes.

The foundation arranges doorstep pickups across India.

Once the clothes reach the site in Gurugram, they go through a meticulous process of segregation.

Not wanting anything to go to waste, Sajan also started a recycling unit on-site that turns scrap material into 30 items, including school bags and blankets.

The women at the helm of the recycling hail from the villages of Gurugram. Some of them are single mothers while others are the sole breadwinners of the family.

The Clothes Box Foundation’s unique model ensures everyone feels their hug of hope.

Here’s your chance to help.