Why should you donate clothes to Red Cross? The American Red Cross works to help people all over the world who are in crisis. Every day, the Red Cross provides blankets, food, clean water, blood, clothes, and shelter for people that have gone through natural disasters and other times of crisis. They help families, individuals, and children. They help families find housing and provide aid to the homeless.
The Red Cross is the 13th largest charity in the United States. In private donations, the Red Cross received over $687 million in 2014. Financial donations go to supporting the Red Cross operations as well as provide support to local chapters and outreach efforts. They help people that are homeless, veterans, experience house fires, survived hurricanes, tornados, floods, and more.
Although a lot of people donate money to the Red Cross, there are other ways you can support the efforts of the Red Cross. You can give items like clothes or blankets. The Red Cross also accepts donations of food and bottled water. Giving away your gently-worn and unwanted clothes is just one effective way you can support the overall efforts of the organization.
According to a recent survey, people in the United States consume over 20 billion garments a year. That is equivalent to 68 garments and seven pairs of shoes per person. Additionally, people throw away an average of 10 pounds of clothes per person every year. The clothes thrown away end up in landfills.
Instead of throwing away unwanted clothes, they can be donated to provide people who have lost everything they own and those that are homeless. Giving your clothes reduces waste while providing aid to others. It is charitable and environmentally friendly. It is a great way for those that cannot donate money to help still.
As of January 2015, there are 564,708 homeless people on any given night throughout the United States. Roughly 15% of the homeless are ?chronically homeless.? That comes out to approximately 83,170 people. The Red Cross provides aid for the homeless through the distribution of clothes, blankets, food, and water.
While the Red Cross is a non-profit, most people do not donate for the tax deduction. Most donors cite the desire to give back to those in need as the reason they choose to donate. Donations increase immediately following natural diseases or other crisis situations such as Hurricane Katrina. However, many people don’t realize they can donate clothes to Red Cross.
There are Red Cross donation centers throughout the country, and many chapters also offer donation pick-ups. You can find a clothing donation center through your local Red Cross chapter office or schedule your clothing donation pickup at your home. Now is the time to donate clothes to Red Cross.