“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'” (Matthew 25:34-36)
From ancient times to the present day, taking care of the poor and sick has always been one of the most righteous and selfless acts a person can do. There are many ways to aid the needy, one of them being the donation of clothes. Donating clothes to those who cannot cloth themselves is an honorable and genuinely decent act of kindness and compassion. Clothing donations are always needed. Will you answer the call?
Sadder than the fact that there are so many people in the world that need clothing is that so much clothing and clothing materials go to waste every year. In 2006, for example, 2.5 billion pounds of fabric was saved from disposal by used-clothing purchasers and charity organizations. Although the fabric was retrieved, had these organizations not stepped in and intervened, 2.5 billion pounds of fabric would have gone to waste. This near-destruction of clothing just goes to show how much waste is produced every and how important helping families in need truly is.
It is estimated that up to 90% of disposed fabrics are easily recyclable and can used for clothes. Think of all the poor, desperate people that can stand to benefit from these fabrics. Thought there are non-profit organizations and other companies that use these fabrics for clothing, the fact remains that often those organizations with money do not donate as much as they could. Corporate donations to charity in 2013, for example, amounted to just 5% of the total amount of charitable donations given. In contrast, individuals donated more than 70% of the total and the education sector donated 16%. Clothing donations on an individual level may not seem like much but it truly makes a difference for those in need of clothes on their backs.
So please, if you have any lightly used clothing laying around and would like to help out your fellow man, consider making clothing donations today. Take counsel in the worlds of a great charitable figure:
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Read this website for more information.