NEW BUSINESS GIVING BACK

Free sewing lessons, world hunger fundraisers part of Vinda Pedrosa's plan

Businesswoman Vinda Pedrosa is not only living her best life, she is fully committed to helping those less fortunate along her life path asaway to honor her humble roots.

The hardworking female entrepreneur recently opened her third business in the Twin Cities, community sewing center Vinda’s Closet in Leominster. A ribboncutting ceremony tomark the occasion was held on Feb. 17 at the 285 Central St. shop that offers custom tailoring and sewing services as well as free sewing lessons and eventually down the road, English lessons.

“I want the new generation learning how to sew, keep traditions going,” Pedrosa said of the inspiration behind offering complimentary sewing lessons to the community.

Pedrosa was born in Brazil as one of ten siblings. She grew up in poverty and remembers people helping her family with clothing and food.

“I came from a very big family,” she said.

When her father died when she was 11, she “started working early to help my family becausewewere very poor, and every cent counted. I couldn’t af

ford yogurt or other foods. We only had the basics.”

She took her first sewing lesson as a teenager, stating that in her home country it is the norm for “girls to learn how to cook and sew.”

It was there that she also started helping to feed the poor, a mission she continues to this day. She recently sent $450 to Mozambique, a southern African nation, “to help buy food to give to the hungry,” and has sentmonetary aid to other spots around the world that struggle with food insecurity.

“Here we have everything, there they have nothing,” the humanitarian said. “It is my pleasure to help people. I know what it meant to me to get clothes or a bag of food. I know I can’t do much, but what I can I want to continue doing.”

She and her husband of 38 years immigrated to the U.S. in 1999 “with three dollars in our pockets.” A childhood friend living inhudsonoffered a place for them to stay for a couple weeks and then they lived with family for a short time.

Three days after they arrived her husband got a job at Honey Dew Donuts and they were able to save enough money to rent an apartment in their new

(GARY FOURNIER — SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE Some of the willing volunteers who are helping Vinda’s Closet owner and humanitarian Vinda Pedrosa (third from left) offer free sewing lessons to the community at her recently opened Central Street Leominster shop. Left to right: Jomara Nagueira, Luciana Montiro, Pedroso, Isileme Santos, Giselle Cruz, shop manager Lu Lu Joy, and Rosana Scarcelle.

GARY FOURNIER — SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE Female entrepreneur and humanitarian Vinda Pedroso, owner of three tailoring businesses in the Twin Cities, works on some clothing at her recently opened community sewing center Vinda’s Closet on Central Street in Leominster, where she offers free sewing lessons.