Charitable donations of any kind are wonderful and generous. There are more than 1.5 million tax-exempt non-profit organizations in the United States today — every single one of them doing fantastic work in their respective fields. For those organizations that focus on the homeless, charitable clothing donations go a long way. A recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development states that there are about 600,000 homeless people in the country. A quarter of them are children. These men, women and children truly need all the help they can get as they are some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
Donating lightly used clothing helps the poor — among others. Here are two main reasons why you should donate clothing to charity:
- They Provide Warmth and Comfort For the Poor: This is the main reason why most people donate clothing, of course, but it’s important nonetheless. Not only are there millions of people that depend on used clothing, the charitable giving in the U.S. come from less-than-affluent places. In 2013 for example, the overwhelming majority of charitable donations came from individual donors, a whopping 72% or $240 billion. In contrast, the education sector gave 16% (or $53 billion) and corporate donors accounted for just 5% ($17 billion). It goes to show that unfortunately, the organizations that can afford to give the most often end up giving the least. That is why individual clothing donations are so important for the nation’s poor.
- It Helps Reduce Waste. A Lot of It: Donating clothes also helps reduce the significant waste of fabric and household textiles in the U.S. Every year, billions of pounds of household fabrics such as cotton, polyester, and nylon are thrown into landfills, making up 5% of the total landfill waste. Nearly 90% of the discarded material is recyclable and ready to be used to make clothing. Donating clothes helps the poor and the environment!
For more information about charitable donations, feel free to leave a comment or question at the bottom.
