Each day, millions of people dedicate their lives to defending this country. Although we often hear much about supporting active troops, less is heard about how to support our veterans. Veterans — especially those returning from war zones — often have a lot to recover from, both emotionally and physically. And though we all want to help, the question of how to help can be a big one, especially for busy professionals or those with hectic home lives. There is a surprisingly easy way to aid our veterans that many don’t even know about. Donations for veterans through charities can be easy to manage, and a great way of recycling. Not only are you giving back — you’re making your own life simpler and even helping the environment.
Donations For Veterans: The Direct Benefits
If you’re interested in helping families in need or helping disabled veterans, you needn’t look any further than your own home. Donations for veterans can be made simply by giving old clothes or household items to charity. Old clothes in particular tend to pile up around us, taking up space that we could use on things we actually appreciate. Look in your closet and think carefully about what you have; if you live in an area with a one to two season climate and haven’t worn an item for six months, think about donating it to charity. Could you throw these things away? Yes, perhaps. In fact, the average American throws away at least 70 pounds of clothing a year. But making some simple clothing and household donations not only do a lot more social good than tossing them in the trash — they make a big difference for the environment as well.
Donating Clothes To Charity: What Makes It Green
You’d be amazed by how much damage throwing away clothes versus donating them does to the environment. Everyone does it, with textiles alone accounting for about 5% of municipal waste — due in part to the fact that only 15% of textiles are recycled. These textiles go on to take up space in landfills, and many of them are not biodegradable in the least. While Americans send 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills each year, 2006 saw 2.5 billion pounds kept out of landfills by used clothing donations. The fact that this is just one of many perks of donating clothes.
Charity Drop Offs: Making Donations Easier
So you want to donate clothes, but you don’t quite have the time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; many of us have extremely busy schedules. The fact is that donating clothes can be as simple as just finding the nearest clothing drop off, parking your car for a few minutes, and unloading the bags of clothing you want to give. Some charities even have pick up services that will pick up the items at your home.
Making donations to charity is an easy decision; but it’s not always easy to do. Hopefully, you now know a little bit more about your options.
