Homelessness in the United States is nothing to scoff at. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are over 600,000 homeless men, women, and children on any given night in the country. Many of them lack basic necessities like food, transportation, and medical care and, unfortunately, many of them do not have adequate clothing. In places with cold, snowy winters, this can be hazardous to their health — and even life threatening. The homeless who lack suitable clothing often struggle to survive.
There are, however, many charities that support the homeless, and that work to combat homelessness and poverty in general. Charitable donations of clothing is one of the many actions people across the U.S. can take to help the homeless. Many (if not all) of us have clothing we no longer wear or care for. For every pair of socks or t-shirt we discard, there is a helpless man, woman, or child who can use them. For every pair of gloves you throw out, there is a homeless person in the cold who would wear them in a heartbeat. Clothing donations are critical for thousands of people — people who lack options and who depend on the kindness of strangers.
Although the idea that homelessness is taken care of by the government or “someone else” is persistent, a troubling look at charitable donations in 2013 shows just how important it is for ordinary people to contribute:
- Corporate donors amounted to only 5% of all charitable donations that year.
- By contrast, 16% of all donations came from educational institutions and,
- A whopping 72% of all donations were made by individual donors, an increase of 4.2% from 2012.
As the results show, the individuals and institutions that can afford to give the most simply choose not to whereas average income earners contribute the most. If that wasn’t bad enough, nearly 90% of all discarded textiles and fabrics are perfectly reusable and can contribute toward helping families in need.
For these reasons and so many more, please consider charitable clothing donations today.
