Sharing Your Belongings the Second Time Around Makes a World of Difference

Your boxes of used clothing and houseware donations might not seem like a big deal. It’s just another part of cleaning up the house, right? Well, consider that every time you don’t bother to give your old wardrobe and houseware donations to a charity, it’s probably headed to a landfill, joining 10.5 million tons of old clothes languishing in the dump. By giving your old coats, dresses, dishes, plates, and silverware to charitable causes like the Order of the Purple Heart or the National Federation for the Blind, you are doubling the benefit. First, the money raised by donations for non-profit organizations that benefit groups such as veterans and military families. In addition, the donations stay out of a landfill and keep our world a little greener.

Americans have always been generous with their donations. More than 95% of U.S. Citizens are involved in some form of form of giving to a charitable cause. That’s a lot of clothing donations and houseware donations going out the door for good causes. In 2000 alone, the estimated value of donating clothing to charity came to a little under Six Billion Dollars. We as Americans also participate in the purchase of clothing and houseware donations. Americans end up buying the equivalent of ten pounds of clothing per person. Worn out clothing can be taken and recycled for other uses such as industrial rags or even stuffing furniture.

Even better, there are more options than ever for charities that will pick up donations right from home as well as the standard drop off location and boxes. For example, Greendrop, which works both with the Military Order of the Purple Heart as well as the National Federation of the Blind, offers the option of a truck coming by to receive your clothing and houseware donations that you may have. You can simply leave the items in a designated area outside your home and they will take it away even if you’re not there at the time. Of course, if you prefer having your charitable clothing donations yourself, that option is available as well.

Almost 1.7 million of our American military personnel have received a purple heart by being wounded in combat. Purple Heart the organization helps to honor them by providing needed service and assistance, all made possible by your clothing and houseware donations. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) advocates for the rights of the blind in the U.S. The CDC estimate 3.4 million Americans age 40 and above are blind or visually impaired. The NFB has developed education, training and technology programs to benefit our blind citizens so they can learn to live independently. Again, by the simple generosity of your clothing and houseware donations, the funds are generated to make a sustained difference for those without sight.

The double impact of clothing and houseware donations: funding charitable organizations like Purple Heart and NFB, while helping the environment by keeping clothes out of the environment is an amazing example of the benefit of charitable giving. Why don’t you look at your closet, kitchen or basement today and see what you can afford to part with? Then start recycling!