Currently, 94.5 percent of Americans participate at some level of charitable giving. This can often be financial in nature, but it doesn’t have to be. Many Americans have the option of donating gently used clothing to charity. These donations go toward helping families in need all over the United States. And donating is easier than ever, since Americans have more clothing per person than ever before. For example, back in 1930, the average American woman owned nine outfits. Today, that figure is 30 outfits. Instead of throwing these outfits away, consider making charitable donations of clothing instead. If you do make this choice, there are several things to keep in mind and this article will take a look at a few of those things.
- There are Many Charities That Accept Clothing Donations: One thing to keep in mind when donating used clothing is that there are many charities that accept clothing donations. These can range from military charities that primarily cater to helping military families and veterans, to more conventional charities that help everyone. Whether you donate to military charities or not largely depends on your personal preference, but there isn’t one that is better to donate to than the other.
- There are a Number of Ways to Donate Clothing: Another thing to keep in mind when donating used clothing is that there are a number of ways to make your donation. The most common ways to donate used clothing to charity include having your donations picked up at your home by the charity, dropping them off at a designated donation center, or leaving the donations at a “drop box” that is periodically visited by the charity to collect donations. Some ways will work better than others depending on your circumstances and where you live, so it’s important to check the options that are available to you.
- Donating Used Clothing Helps the Environment: And finally, a third thing to keep in mind when donating used clothing is that making these donations is actually helpful to the environment. Currently, Americans recycle or donate only 15 percent of their used clothing, while the rest-about 10.5 million tons a year-goes into landfills. By donating more clothing each year, literally tons of material will be kept out of the landfill, helping the environment in the long run.
In conclusion, there are several things that you should keep in mind when donating used clothing to military charities and other charities. These things include keeping in mind that there are many charities that accept clothing donations, knowing that there are a number of ways to donate clothing, and remembering the donating used clothing helps the environment. These are just a few of the things to keep in mind when donating used clothing.
