46 - Donate Clothes
FACTS
- 20 billion pounds of clothing and textiles are thrown away every year—an average of 68 pounds per person.
- 1.5 billion pairs of unworn or barely worn shoes are lying in closets.
- Over 36.2 million of the U.S. population lives in poverty.
- On average, 3 million men, women, and children are homeless at some point each year.
- 50% of all homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence, usually with only the clothes on their backs.
- Clothing donations to qualified charitable organizations are tax deductible.
- Contact a local shelter or organization that receives clothing donations and ask about any specific clothing needs.
- Look through your closet for clothing, coats, shoes, suits, blankets, pillows, purses, briefcases, umbrellas, and scarves that are in good condition and that you haven’t used in a year or more.
- Organize a clothing drive at work, school, place of worship, or in your neighborhood.
- Wash or dry-clean items. Don’t donate items that are stained or torn.
- Fold and pack clothing in boxes, attach appropriate labels, and then deliver them.
- Consider giving directly to a homeless person.
Donating clothes is one of the easiest ways to affect someone’s life in a very tangible and significant way. You can help someone stay warm, wear shoes without holes, dress properly for a job interview, or don a new outfit for school. Do you really need all those clothes filling up your closet?…Millions of other people do.
