Category: Clothes donation

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One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

Veterans charities

Step back and take a look at your closet. All of those past season must-haves that you only wore a couple times are sitting on the back shelf, replaced with the next up and coming newest style. When it is that your clothes have passed their fashion peak, give them a chance to be enjoyed by someone else, as recycling and donating these items to those in need brings many benefits to all involved.

Veterans and military families are in great need for clothing donations. In 2012, the unemployment rate of veterans was a whopping 9.9%, up 2% of the national average of regular citizens, with 20.4% being veterans between the ages of 18-24. Additionally, reports from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics in March 2013 show an estimated 207,000 recent veterans unable to find work. With 12 million tons of clothing and textile waste being thrown out every year in the United States, about 90% being viable for recycling, clothing donations for veterans charities are a perfect option for your gently used clothing. It is clear many others have taken the lead with donations; in 2007 alone, an average of 5.8 billion worth of clothing donations were made to charity foundations, military charities included.

Mother Earth is also somebody we need to consider when disposing of waste and other goods. The average American alone generates 4.5 pounds of trash per day, capping out at 1.5 tons of solid waste per year. Estimates from the EPA show 75% of this solid waste is recyclable, but only 30% is actually disposed of properly. The truth is, recycling is incredibly efficient and long lasting, if we recycled just 1/10 of our newspapers per year, Americans would singlehandedly save 25 million trees. Imagine what the birds of the world would have to say about that!

Composting is another eco-friendly way to minimize your carbon footprint. As a country, Americans produce 21.5 million tons of food waste per year. If we simply compost that food it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere as taking 2 million cars off the road. Since cars are a necessity for most in this day in age, why wouldn’t you add to the 87 million tons of material that was composted and recycled in 2012?

Overall, donating, recycling, and composting are painless and easy and have an immeasurable impact on others. After all, think of the birds! Find more on this topic here.

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Charities that will pick up donations Clothes donation Support for military families

How Clothing Donations Help to Support the Troops and the Environment

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It goes without sating that being in the military is tough job that requires an extraordinary amount of commitment, dedication, hard work, and of course sacrifice. Not only are these qualities required of active duty military members, but of their spouses, children and family as well.

It’s common for military families to face unique challenges that, while many civilian families may be able to sympathize with, may find it difficult to truly relate to. For example, any active duty military members often miss holidays with their families, and many times they may even miss the birth of their own children due to frequent, long deployments. In addition, it’s common for military families to carry higher amounts of credit card debt.

Therefore, Uncle Sam wants you to give back in anyway that you can. Everyone has busy schedules nowadays, thanks to work, school, activities, and family time. However, even though you may have a hectic schedule, there are still plenty of ways to give back and show your support for military families.

It’s common for organizations that help military families to receive the majority of their charitable donations during the winter holiday season, however, charity donations can be made all year round. In fact, they’re needed all year round. Perhaps one of the simplest ways to give back when you’re short on time is by making clothing donations.

Donating gently used clothing is perhaps one of the most beneficial and fastest ways to give back to the military community. For example, many veterans face higher rates of unemployment than non-veterans. By donating gently used business casual clothing and professional attire to the military community, you’re helping veterans and spouses of active duty military personnel gain a competitive edge.

Last but not least, clothing donations help the environment — another cause which many Americans are passionate about — be reducing the amount of textile waste and pollution that ends up in landfills.

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Clothes donation Clothing donations for veterans Donations to purple heart

Which Charity Organizations Should You Donate Clothing to This Holiday Season?

Clothes donation

The holiday season is almost here, and although it will end before you know it, the winter will continue for a couple more months after that. In many parts of the United States, that means cold weather, which spells trouble for those who don’t have proper shelter or clothing.

While monetary donations to homeless shelters and other charity organizations that aid in housing are a great idea, there is another type of donation you can give that will help the less fortunate during the winter: gently used clothing donations. Clothing donations serve several purposes. They can be used to clothe the needy, be sold in thrift stores to collect proceeds to benefit the disadvantaged, and be recycled to preserve the planet.

If you would like to give clothing this holiday season, but you’re not sure where to start, here are three types of charity organizations that will appreciate what you have to give:

Military and Veterans Charities
Today there are millions of active and retired military members and their families who could use help, especially around the holidays. In addition to clothing donations, many of these charities also look for donations of new toys as gifts for the holidays. Find out if there are any military and veteran charities in your area, especially those that help out wounded and disabled veterans.

Family and Children’s Charities
It’s an unfortunate fact that many families are unable to afford what they need for the holidays. Giving clothing donations, especially for children in need, is a great way to help these families. Most needed during the winter are items such as coats, hats, scarves, mittens and gloves, and boots, plus warmer garments like sweaters and sweatshirts, so be sure to give those if you have them.

Green Charities
Finally, many charities today will use whatever they can get to ensure that nothing heads to the landfill. Many green charities will give away as much as they can before deciding to sell their clothing in thrift stores or recycle it. As much as 20% of clothing donated gets sold in secondhand shops, and virtually all clothing donations can be either salvaged or recycled.

Above all, make sure to look into local charity organizations first. There’s a good chance that there are people right in your area who need help, and donating to a local cause is a great way to help out. Do you have suggestions for donating or questions about giving? Leave a comment below.

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Clothes donation Clothing donations pick up Donations for military families

The Dos And Don’ts Of Donating To Charity

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Every year, 70% of Americans give to charity — whether it’s donating canned goods to the local food bank or dropping off gently used charitable clothing donations. The New Year is just around the corner, so it is important for U.S. men and women to take care of any last-minute donations, especially if they want to write them off on this year’s taxes. Here are a few dos and don’ts for making charitable donations.

Don’t: Throw Away Gently Used Items

U.S. households throw away 68 pounds of clothing per year — and unnecessarily, too. Gently used or like-new clothing can easily go to families in need. Before tossing old clothes, consider who might need them instead. Keep in mind that there are shortages of some items in particular. Charities always need baby clothes and clothes for toddlers and young children. Similarly, winter-appropriate clothing, like hats, gloves, winter boots, and scarves, are always a welcome contribution.

Don’t: Donate Without Doing Your Research

There are some items that charities for one reason or another (usually legal) just cannot accept. Pull up a charity websites prior to donating or call ahead to find out what is appropriate to donate and what’s not. Most charities cannot accept bowling bowls, carpets or carpeting, exercise equipment, recalled cribs (cribs with drop-down sides), damaged furniture, or cleaning products and supplies. Certain items, such as clothing, baby bags, shoes, sheets, towels, quality furniture, books, dishes, DVDs, lamps, printers, and more, are always necessary.

Food Don’ts: Don’t Donate Baked Goods And Foods In Glass Containers

Finally, if you are donating to a food bank or a charity that accepts food items, keep in mind that some foods and beverages are better than others. Most charities cannot accept perishable foods, home baked goods, or foods in glass containers, such as pasta sauce in glass jars. (There are comparable sauces in cans or plastic jars, however.) Rice, beans, macaroni and cheese, pasta, and hearty soups and stews are always great options when donating.

There are some rules of thumb for giving charitable clothing donations, household items, and food items. Help those in need and save yourself some time by donating the very best items whenever possible.