The Benefits Of Charitable Donations
Donating to charity is something that is held up with importance in the United States, from a Red Cross clothes donation to donating to any other charity, such as the Salvation Army or even a charity organization such as Goodwill. Charitable giving is so popular all across the United States that around seventy percent of all Americans will donate at least once to charity in just one year – and many will donate more frequently, if they are able. In fact, around three percent of total income is given to charity in one year alone in the United States, and the value contributed by non profits every year in the United States is more than six billion dollars. Red Cross clothes donations have a number of positive effects, from being tax deductible for the value of the articles of clothing donated to having a positive impact on the environment.
American Red Cross clothing donations have a bigger impact than many people realize, in realms that are usually not considered when talking about Red Cross clothes donations and the like. For instance, Red Cross clothes donations and other clothing donations can have a profoundly positive effect on waste reduction in the United States. The United States is certainly a world where consumption is king, with the average person consuming nearly seventy articles of clothing and seven pairs of shoes in just one calendar year – totaling more than twenty billion articles of clothing across the country. This means that around one article of clothing is purchased every week and that the average person in the United States throws away as much as ten pounds of used clothing every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (commonly known as the EPA). There’s been a push to donate clothes in recent years, and part of this can be linked to the desire to keep used and old articles of clothing out of landfills, when they could instead be easily given a second life, either still as clothing or as something as simple as industrial rags or the stuffing for furniture such as a couch.
Donating clothes can also be hugely helpful for those people in need of them, as well as the charitable organizations that support said people in need. Take the American Red Cross, considered to be the thirteen biggest charity in the United States, with nearly seven million dollars in charitable donations alone in 2014. Red Cross clothes donations are hugely important in helping the American Red Cross to achieve its mission of providing not only clothing but shelter, food, blood, and blankets 24/7, every day of the year to those who may be in need of them. Therefore, every little bit that can be given is important in the eyes of the American Red Cross.
Donating your used articles of clothing to charity is also beneficial on a personal level for yourself. After all, far too many of us still have clothes that we never wear taking up too much space in our closets and seriously contributing to the clutter of our personal spaces. In fact, it is recommended that, if you live in a one to two season climate, such as in warmers areas of the country, you should donate anything that you have not worn in six months or even longer.