Donating Clothes: 600,000 Men, Women, and Children Depend on Clothing Donations
The homeless and poor in the United States are some of the most vulnerable members of the population. A Department of Housing and Urban Development study in 2013 found that there are more than 600,000 men, women, and children out on the streets on any given night. A quarter of the homeless happen to be children. For the less-fortunate, even something as simple as finding clothes, a task most of us take for granted, can be a struggle. That is why charitable clothing donations as so important for the nation’s homeless.
Though the issue of homelessness is a tragic one, what may be even more distressing is the fact that so many materials that could go toward clothing the homeless and poverty-stricken are needlessly thrown away. Nearly 90% of textile waste can be recycled and turned into clothing. Roughy 5% of the country’s landfill waste is clothing and household textiles such as cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, and velcro — much of which are still salvageable. In 2006, an astonishing 2.5 billion pounds of fabric were kept away from the landfills and were instead used for recyclable clothing. Imagine if that waste hadn’t been salvaged. Unfortunately, massive waste of renewable materials isn’t something difficult to imagine.
It is for this reason that charitable clothing donations by caring citizens are so important in the struggle against homelessness and poverty. Donating clothes is simple and easy. Charitable donations in the form of lightly used clothing help thousands of people across the country get on with their day-to-day lives. Without support from charitable and non-profit organizations, the homeless would have it even more difficult out there in the streets.
Donating clothes has never been more convenient. Many charitable organizations have a pickup option for donations. If you do not feel like traveling to a charity organization to drop off your donation, some charities will come and pick it up right from your doorstep or curbside! Please consider donating clothes to charity today. Feel free to leave a comment or question below for more information.
