Homelessness is a problem in the United States as well as the world at large. In the United States alone, over half a million people are without a home or adequate shelter every single night. Almost 20% of the population in the United States is viewed as chronically homeless, meaning that their homelessness is not temporary or with an easy solution. However, there are things that people can do to help.
Giving to charity is key. Used clothing donations can be dropped off at a clothing donation center or red cross pickup. A red cross pickup will used clothes in any condition, as clothes, even in a less than ideal state, can almost always be re-purposed. Fortunately, the percentage of people who give to charity in the United States is high, around 70%. And about 3% of the annual income in the United States is allocated and donated to charities like the American Red Cross. One reason to drop off used clothes at a red cross pickup site or a red cross donation center is simply because it helps out people in need. In fact, donors who give large sums of money almost all say that they do so because they want to give back to the community. Though not everyone (and probably not most people) is able to donate in that capacity, we are all able to help, even if it is just in a small way. The American Red Cross is an organization that helps donors – big and small – to do just that, as it provides shelter, clothing, and food to families in need every hour of the day, every day of the week.
Donating clothes to the American Red Cross at a red cross pickup is also an environmentally sound choice. People in the United States buy more clothes than ever before – around 70 garments and 7 pairs of shoes yearly for every person in the United States. This makes up over 20 billion garments annually. Unfortunately, around 10 pounds of clothing per person are thrown away every year in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fortunately, clothing donations to charity can help to mitigate some of this waste and save a large number of clothing items and shoes from ending up in landfills.
There are many reasons to donate to charity, from saving the environment to giving back to the community. It’s an easy way to make a difference in this world, and the positive impact of donations is payment enough.
