Donating clothes is one of the easiest ways to affect someone's life in a very tangible and significant way. You can help someone stay warm, wear shoes without holes, dress properly for a job interview, or don a new outfit for school. Do you really need all those clothes filling up your closet? Millions of other people do.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

  1. Contact a local shelter or organization that receives clothing donations and ask about any specific clothing needs.
  2. Look through your closet for clothing, coats, shoes, suits, blankets, pillows, purses, briefcases, umbrellas, and scarves that are in good condition and that you haven't used in a year or more.
  3. Organize a clothing drive at work, school, place of worship, or in your neighborhood.
  4. Wash or dry-clean items. Don't donate items that are stained or torn.
  5. Fold and pack clothing in boxes, attach appropriate labels, and then deliver them.
  6. Consider giving directly to a homeless person.

FACTS

  • 20 billion pounds of clothing and textiles are thrown away every year—an average of 68 pounds per person.
  • 1.5 billion pairs of unworn or barely worn shoes are lying in closets.
  • Over 36.2 million of the U.S. population lives in poverty.
  • On average, 3 million men, women, and children are homeless at some point each year.
  • 50% of all homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence, usually with only the clothes on their backs.
  • Clothing donations to qualified charitable organizations are tax deductible.
Excerpted from: Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza Copyright © 2008 Every Monday Matters LLC. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published 05/23/2010

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