Most Americans are very charitable people. Many are not sure what they can do to give back to the community other than donate money or volunteer their time. The good news is that there are other ways to help others and some are easier than you may realize. Used clothing donations are very important to helping other people in a number of ways and who are in a number of circumstances. Some charities make it easy. You can schedule a Red Cross clothing pickup to clean out your closet and help people in need. Here are some tips to scheduling your clothing donation pickup the right way.
- Take this time to declutter your space. If you are like most people in the United States, you have more clothing than you need or than you can wear. Take some time and go through all of the closets in your home. Do you still have clothing that your kids have grown out of? They are always needed by a number of people and can really help families in need. Are there clothes that you once really liked but your style has changed? Someone else may love them. They do say, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
- Get your clothes donations ready to donate. Before you schedule your Red Cross clothing pickup, make sure your clothing items are ready for the staff at the clothing donation center to use. First, make sure there is nothing in the pockets. It is not unusual for people to leave valuable items such as jewelry, money or other things they may not meant to donate when they donated their items. Next, you need to make sure your clothing is clean enough to donate. That is another problem that many donation centers have. When you donate clothing, you do not want to make more work for the charity. The last thing you should do is fold and sort the items.
- Talk to the center about what their needs are. When you schedule your Red Cross clothing pickup, you should see if there is a real need for particular items. This may give you some ideas when you are looking through your home. You may have extra blankets or towels and they can be used by a family in need. Centers are often in need of professional clothing for people who are looking to get back on their feet after a time out of work.
- Be careful about the condition of the items. If you have a bunch of clothing, towels or blankets that really cannot be worn by people anymore because of their shape, you should find something else to do with them. You may want to talk to animal shelters in the area to see if they need something like what you have to keep the animals warm or to bathe them.
- Get the right containers for your items. If you are also donating suitcases or other bags (they can also be used, given to people in need or sold in the thrift shop). These are great for storing your clothing that you are going to donate. If you do not have bags like that, which you want to give to charity. You can use garbage bags, if you are careful to label them well.
- Itemize your items before you pack them up. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers donations of items to be the same as cash donations. You are going to be able to take your donations off of your taxes. If you make any donations that are worth more than $250, you are going to have to provide the IRS with documentation. No real non-profit will have a problem helping you in this area. Make sure you ask about the receipts when your schedule the Red Cross clothing donation pickup so they are ready when they get to your home.
Scheduling a Red Cross clothing pickup is one way most people can make a real difference in the lives of others and give back to your community. You can even make it a bigger deal by organizing a donation drive for your office or neighborhood.
