Why Your Clothing Donation Helps the Disadvantaged

Charitable contributions, whether in the form of monetary donations, volunteering, or even physical goods such as clothes and food, is a staple of many communities, where nonprofits use time and money and physical goods to support disadvantaged populations.

Although the motives for donating time or money to charity can vary, many view support a charity as a way to ‘give back to the community.’ In one survey, 63% of high net worth donors city “giving back to the community” as a chief motivation for giving.

Two statistics highlight how much Americans give to charities:

• 70% of the people in the U.S. give to charity each year.
• 3% of American income is given to charities each year.

There are many high-profile charities that represent a particular cause, often as one that has a great deal of impact within their chosen areas and demographics. There is the Salvation Army, which is a Christian organization; NAMI, for mental illness; and Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the homeless and families in need.

One nonprofit that does a great deal of good in the community is the American National Red Cross. The American National Red Cross is viewed as a 13th largest charity in America, based on private donations. It received $687 million in private donations in 2014. To give a quick look at how they provide services for the local community, the American National Red Cross:

…provides relief for families and communities in the form of blankets, food, blood, and shelter 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

One of the ways people contribute to the American National Red Cross is through a Red Cross clothes donation. A Red Cross clothes donation is a clothes donation that goes to support families or needful people who need clothes, such as a five year old on their way to their first day at school.

Clothes donations are often taken at a Red Cross donation center, though it is also possible for to employ the Red Cross clothing pick up in certain locations. For clothing pick ups, many nonprofits will drive to a household to pick up clothing for you, removing the time it takes to go to a clothing donation center.

In truth, Americans consume nearly 20 million garments per year. That’s 68 garments and seven pairs of shoes per person or more than one piece of clothing purchased per week.

Used clothing donations are also tax deductible. As with all donations to a charity, it is possible to deduct the value of your donation when filing that year’s tax returns.

A Red Cross clothes donation can then be helpful for both the individual or family you are supporting when donating your used clothes and beneficial to you financially by allowing for a tax deduction that can save you money for that year.

One final statistic:

Internationally, more than 14.3 million tons of American textiles help clothe people and families worldwide.

Whether in America or internationally, donating clothing can help.