Most non-Swiss people I know – including many who have made Switzerland their home – think of Switzerland as exclusively land of the rich. And indeed, it tops the charts as one of the world’s most expensive countries.
But people often overlook the fact that not everyone in Switzerland is as affluent as your typical Zürich resident or Geneve resident. In particular, there are still many rural areas, often isolated in tiny villages and hamlets in the Swiss Alps, where the income and standard of living is somewhat less.
In order to help these regions, the Swiss grocery store Coop operates a collection of donation stations, where people can donate old clothes and shoes, like this one:
Additionally, they have a terrific website that gives full details about the various projects they support to improve the lives of many people in these remote mountain villages.