Donating can be a very humbling, and rewarding, adventure. Whether you are donating to children in need of clothing, helping disabled veterans, or simply helping families in need, no one can argue the deep satisfaction of extending a helping hand to those in need, who need just an extra hand to bring themselves back on their feet. You might not realize it, but American goods are sold for pennies from their original price to developing nations that have a harder time accessing clothing. America alone donates 14.3 million tons to help cloth families all over the globe.
Social media can be a very useful, and very powerful, platform in which to call for action. When a friend calls to action to make charitable donations, seven out of 10 people or 70 percent, will respond favorably. This virtual coming togetherness could be the saving grace you or someone close, or even a complete stranger, was looking for and really needed. It is amazing what the connecting web of social media can do with sympathy and empathy.
It never dawns on you just how poor the recycle rate of clothing and textiles are until you hear it or read it. Recycle rates on clothing and textiles are as low as 15 percent in America, that percentage includes donations. What about an article of clothing that is falling apart? Absolutely! Donate it. Why? Because almost 100 percent of clothing and textiles can actually be recycled; it does not even have to be in good condition. That is one less article of clothing added to the 10.5 million tons of textiles and clothing dumped into landfills annually. Not to mention, every average American can claim 70 pounds of discarded clothing or textiles or linens.
Charity foundations come in all shapes and sizes. For example, two charity foundations known as the Military Order of the Purple Heart or MOPH or Purple Heart and GreenDrop, work together in helping the needs of military veterans. GreenDrop collects donations of clothing to household items, and provides funds to the Military Order of the Purple Heart in helping military veterans with their health, supporting family programs and even education. In this case, charity foundations have found an effective way to use the value of charitable donations to extend past clothing a person in need.