Have you ever thought of helping out the less fortunate, but weren’t sure how, or didn’t think that you could afford the money or time to donate to a charitable organization? You’re in luck! There are quite a few ways you can donate items from around your home that are no longer needed that go directly to helping families in need.
Donating clothing to charity not only benefits families in need, such as military families or the blind, but it helps the environment. The average American family throws away about 68 pounds of clothing every year, 99% of which could be used for recycling or reuse. Donating clothes for reuse reduces the amount wasting in landfills, and reduces environmental pollution.
When choosing options for donations, consider this- what better group to support than veterans? There have been an estimated 1.7 million soldiers awarded the Purple Heart (a military decoration given to those wounded or killed while serving) since its inception. Multiply that by the number of husbands, wives, sons, and daughters, and that’s a staggering number of citizens affected by serving our country. In 2012, the unemployment rate among veterans was measured at 9.9%, 2% more than the national average for civilians. As of March 2013, approximately 207,000 veterans reported not being able to find work. There are dozens of organizations in the Northeast US that collect charitable donations for military families.
Donations for military families do not have to be extravagant- just make sure any cloth items are not stained or ripped. Some charities for military families will even pick up donations and help you sort through your possessions. Household items like televisions, computer monitors, and mattresses, and cars have restrictions on them so be sure to call ahead to see what you may donate and what will not be accepted.
