Category Archives: Donate clothes to red cross

Putting Your Used Clothes in the Right Hands

Donate clothing

Americans own more clothing than ever before. With a low cost of labor, materials, production, shipping, and distribution, it is much easier to buy a new t-shirt or pair of pants than any other time in the past. Americans are buying more than 20 billion pieces of clothing per year. If this were broken down into the average amount of garments purchased per American per year, it would break down such that each American was purchasing nearly 68 garments and 7 pairs of shoes per year (more than one piece of clothing a week)!

While that might sound nice — the ability to purchase more and more items nowadays than ever before, it also comes with its issues, the foremost of which are that people are throwing away more clothing than ever before too. People aren’t holding onto clothes so as much as they are throwing away old clothes and replacing them with newly bought ones. The EPA states that nearly 10 pounds worth of clothes are thrown away by each person every year, meaning there are more and more garments being tossed into landfills each year. Suffice to say, these clothes are going to waste, and it is the fault of society that this is allowed to happen.

However, there is a way that you, as an individual, can make a difference within your community. You can achieve this by firstly deciding to not throw away your old clothes and to secondly deciding to donate clothing. One location that allows for such services is the Red Cross clothes donations locations.

24/7, 365 days a year: This is the amount of time spent by the Red Cross while providing immeasurable relief for families and people at risk. One of the largest charities in the United States, the Red Cross clothes donations provided more than $687 million worth of private donations in 2014. By taking materials from generous community members who decide to donate clothes to Red Cross, they are able to take previous, used materials and give them to those that are in need, providing them with the basic living materials that fundamentally better the conditions of their lives.

Red Cross clothes donations can be accepted in a variety of ways. The most often systems for donating come either through the Red Cross pickup program, which will come to your residence to accept materials that you wish to donate, or for Red Cross donation centers, where you can stop by and donate clothing, blankets, and other necessary garments. All Red Cross clothes donations will be taken and given to those that dearly need them, meaning that you are essentially removing your clothing from your home and giving it to those that need it. Similarly, rather than ending up in a landfill with all the rest of the world’s junk, you are able to take your clothes, offer them to Red Cross clothes donations programs and put them in the hands of those extremely grateful for your generosity.

How Your Clothes Can Warm Hearts

Red cross clothing pick up

Do you have a closet full of old clothes? Maybe some of your shirts don?t fit or your shoes are no longer in style. Perhaps you aren?t sure where those plaid pink jeans came from. Whatever the reason, you haven?t worn anything from this pile of clothes for a long time, but you want to reclaim your closet. The Environmental Protection Agency has found that the average American will throw away 10 pounds of clothes every year. Instead of contributing to this statistic, you might want to consider visiting a clothing donation center.

It?s easier than you might think!

When you donate clothing, you are both making more room for yourself, and providing someone less fortunate with a garment that could make all the difference in the world. Though it might not seem like much to you, that old jacket that is too tight for you could provide much-needed warmth in the winter months for one of those people without a home. In fact, on any night in January 2015, over 564,000 individuals were homeless in the United States. Used clothing donations from individuals like you also help many with limited income find affordable alternatives. So where should you donate?

The American Red Cross provides many drop-off locations throughout the country, but what if you don?t have a way, or the time, to go somewhere to donate? That?s perfectly fine! There is a way to schedule a Red Cross pickup. You can set a time for your clothes to be picked up at your house, and all you need to do is be ready with whichever articles of clothing you have decided to donate. The only requirements are that whatever items you choose to donate should be clean and in usable condition.

A Red Cross pickup is a simple process that can have such a positive impact in many ways. First, you will provide for someone less fortunate. Second, you will help reduce waste by recycling your articles of clothing. And finally, you can use these donations as a tax write-off. Used clothing donation is a charitable endeavor in which everybody wins and a strong sense of community can be cultivated.