If you ask most people, they would probably tell you that they wish they could do more to help other people in times of need. Most people would tell you that they feel inadequate, that they lacked the resources to do any kind of substantial good. But, that is not the truth. In fact, the opposite is true.
There are so many ways to give to charity and every little bit helps. Many people are not aware of the fact that clothing donations raise a great deal of money for charities; the Red Cross, in particular. When you donate clothes to Red Cross donation center locations, those clothes are being sold again to make money directly from the used clothing stores or they are being recycled. After the used clothes are recycled, they are then sold, thus raising more money for the Red Cross.
Roughly 70% of people living in the United States will give to a charity of their choosing every year. From that 70% of people who give to charity every year, comes a total that equals 3% of American income. People will give 3% of their income away to causes greater than themselves. Some will give more and some will give less. But no matter how much is given, ever little bit of it can go to a great cause.
When you donate clothes to Red Cross, they take the used clothing donations and turn them into all kinds of things that will help others in their times of need. The funds raised from when people donate clothes to Red Cross services goes directly to help people throughout the world. One of the areas that the Red Cross serves is the area of homelessness.
Of the entire population of the United States, roughly 15% of them are homeless. Of these homeless people, 83,170 are considered to be what is called “chronically homeless.” Back in January of 2015, 564,708 people were homeless on any given night of that month. People can find themselves homeless for almost any reason on any given day. Most people live paycheck to paycheck and are one sickness or accident away from being without a home.
When you donate clothes to Red Cross efforts, they don’t have to be a great condition. Many people feel that if they do not have things that are brand new then they should give away anything, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you find something in your closet and you realize that you have no intention of wearing it again, it could still have great value if you donate it.
If you are looking through your closet or attic and you find clothes that are old and worn. Don’t throw them away. Americans throw away way too many fabric pieces and textiles every year. Many people do not realize that garments and textiles can be recycled or repurposed for a brand new product. Don’t ever worry about your items being too old. Chances are very good that they can have new lives as other objects. Those objects will be sold to make money for they needs of people who have fallen on difficult times.
In America, we can sometimes be unaware of what we even have in our homes that we no longer have a use for. We consumed almost 20 billion garments every year. That comes out to roughly 68 garments and seven pairs of shoes per person. That also comes out to one piece of clothing purchased every week per American. So if one piece of clothing is, on average, what we are purchasing every week, then we must have a great deal more than we think we do.
Take a look around your home. Check out your coat closets, your attics, your clothes closets and drawers and find some things you know you no longer want. When you make a donation of clothing, you can rest assured that somewhere down the line, you will truly have made a difference in the life of someone who has come across hard times.
Whether it be a direct sell or a recycled product down the line, your used clothing donation will do its best work.
