IKEA Houston honored for clothing drive

The Houston IKEA hosted a clothing drive benefiting children of Houston and Somalia with the help of House of Charity from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 9.

The drive collected a total of 1,570 pounds of new and used clothing, shoes and accessories. The House of Charity was also able to distribute 1,260 hygiene kits to children in the Houston area and shipped six relief containers and a mobile clinic to Somalia.

"We appreciate IKEA for hosting the clothing drive and look forward to a long-lasting relationship," said Hashmat Effendi, House of Charity executive director. "Together we are making a difference."

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Mohamed Aden, president of Himan and Heeb State Adado in central Somalia, both attended the event to honor and thank House of Charity, IKEA and Houston residents. Lee presented House of Charity with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition and IKEA with a certificate of appreciation.

"At IKEA, we know that children are the key to our future," said Kim Castillo, marketing manager of IKEA Houston. "We're always looking for ways to get our co-workers and customers involved in a worthy cause, so we were thrilled to partner with the organization on this clothing drive."

For more information, visit www.houseofcharity.org or www.ikea.com/us/en/store/houston.