According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are a little shy of 600,000 homeless people in the country. Of those, nearly a quarter are children and a disproportionate amount are military veterans. These men, women, and children represent some of the most oppressed and vulnerable members of our society. Without charitable giving, they have no way of taking care of themselves. These are people who depend on the kindness of strangers in order to survive.
That is why charitable clothing donations are so important in the U.S. today. Charitable organizations across the country collect millions of pounds of clothing every year and distribute them to the homeless. Many charities also run thrift shops to sell to people who aren’t homeless but are extremely poor. The homeless and poor in America have it rough, especially during these hard economic times.
In addition to the terrible state of the less fortunate in the U.S., the people who can afford to donate the most actually end up donating the very least. Consider these statistics:
- In 2013, individual donations composed 72% — a good $240 billion — of charitable donations in the U.S. In contrast,
- Sixteen percent came from educational institutions and sponsors and,
- Only 5% of charitable donations came from corporate organizations.
Sad but true, the organizations that have the most to give often don’t give up much of anything.
In order to make up for this, you can do the very simple task of collecting any unworn clothing or household goods for charity. Chances are you have some clothes lying around that you haven’t worn in a while. Why not donate them to charity? Not only are charities eager to accept them, some go as far as picking donations up right from your front door! Donate household goods. Donate toys. Donate anything you don’t want or need because chances are, there is someone who needs them.
For more information about how to donate household goods and clothing, feel free to leave a comment or question at the bottom.