You realized you had to do something when you were looking through closets for an old Halloween costume. You promised your neighbor that you would let her borrow a Little Red Riding Hood costume that you knew you had at your house. Finding that costume, however, was not as easy as you expected.
You went to the closet in the extra bathroom and you thought that it would be that simple. Unfortunately, that costume was not in that closet. There were extra shoes, extra winter coats, extra linens, and even some dresses. Finally, after looking in more than three other closets and going through several boxes in the basement, though, you found all of the parts that you were looking for. After all of that searching, you knew that you needed to address a major problem in your home. Fortunately, a local charity pick up is scheduled for next weekend and you are hoping to be ready.
There was a time when you had donations ready for the charity pick up every time that it happened, but lately your hectic schedule has not allowed it. In fact, you find yourself shoving things into storage tubs and closets instead of organizing these items into piles to keep and piles to donate.
Are You Ready to Go Through Your Closet and Find Things to Donate?
Charitable donations help many families make it to the end of the month. When, for instance, the weather suddenly turns cold, some families do not have the means to immediately get new winter coats. When families who have more than they need take the effort to donate their unused items, those families who are in need can benefit.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the industries that help collect and distribute clothing donations:
- 2 million tons of textiles and clothing were recycled or donated to charity in the U.S. in the year 2011.
- $5.8 billion worth of clothing related donations were made to charity foundations in the U.S. in the year 2007.
- The average American purchases an average of 10 pounds of previously used clothing every year.
- 15.3% was the recovery rate for used clothing and textiles in America in the year 2011.
- Americans recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of material in the year 2012.
Taking the time to clean out your crowded closets and drawers can help those who are less fortunate live a more comfortable life.
