A Dorcas Society is a local group of people, usually based in a church, with a mission of providing clothing to the poor.

The original society was founded in Douglas, Isle of Man

Douglas, Isle of Man

right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...

 on December 1, 1834, as part of the community's thanksgiving for being spared from an outbreak of cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

. The poorer families in town had their clothes and bedding destroyed as part of the effort to prevent the disease. Today there are other Dorcas societies around the world, providing clothing and other physical needs.

The society is named after a person (Tabitha

Dorcas

Dorcas was a disciple who lived in Joppa, referenced in the Book of Acts of the Bible. Acts recounts that when she died, she was mourned by "all the widows ... crying and showing the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them."...

, also called Dorcas) described in the Acts of the Apostles

Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...

(Chapter 9, v. 36).