By CASEY NEILL
A KEYSBOROUGH small business is supporting refugees through T-shirts.
Savage Society will donate one artist-designed T-shirt to Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and Hotham Mission for each one sold through its Tees for Refugees online campaign.
Company founder Jesse McIntosh works and volunteers in the not-for-profit sector and is passionate about equality and human rights.
“We wanted to raise the bar and see if we could do something different,” he said.
“I was looking to donate a bunch of T-shirts to a friend, who worked for a not-for-profit in Uganda.”
But Mr McIntosh was told his donation could do more harm than good – it could take work from a local business and damage the fragile economy.
“So we are looking to make a donation of 75 artist-designed T-shirts to those who need it most, as some refugees are facing great persecution, hardship and challenges, and many are caught in the middle of some very difficult situations,” he said.
“It’s a big problem, but as a business this is something we can do to make a difference.”
He said the Savage Society team was excited to make a difference locally as they’d noticed many Australians were disappointed in the way refugees were currently being treated.
“Obviously, it’s a very complex issue, but at the end of the day, we see this as an opportunity to think globally and act locally,” Mr McIntosh said.
He said the project empowered refugees and enabled them to choose a unique clothing item they might not have the resources to obtain otherwise.
“For people who don’t have much, it can actually be empowering to give them choice,” he said.
The online campaign ends on Friday 28 February at 6pm. It will also support Savage Society’s growth.
To get involved or for more information, visit www.pozible.com/savageswithacause.
