The United States, despite being the wealthiest country in the world, has a serious homelessness problem. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are a little shy of 600,000 homeless people in the country — a quarter of whom are children. These men, women, and children represent some of the most helpless and vulnerable members of our society. They’ve fallen on hard times and for various reasons are unable to help themselves. Of the 600,000 or so homeless people on the streets, approximately 50,000 are military veterans, many of whom (much like in the general homeless population itself) have mental illnesses.
What is perhaps more distressing than the homelessness issue is the response by the rest of the public. Americans are a very generous people; we donate billions of dollars every year to charity, even when the economy is generally lousy for most people. However, looking at who donates exactly makes one pause about the availability of funds and support for the homeless and other peoples in need. In 2013 for example, the majority of charitable donations in the U.S. — a good 72% — were made from individual donors, many of whom aren’t rich by any means. In contrast, 16% of donations were made by educational organizations and just 5% came from corporate sources. Though all charitable donations are generous and wonderful in themselves, the fact is charity is funded the most from people who can least afford it.
That is why to donate gently used clothing is to truly help out the homeless and poverty-stricken. Donating lightly used clothing can truly go a long way for the poor souls out on the streets across the country. Charitable clothing donations are accepted by many non-profit organizations, and some will even go as far as to pick up donations right from your doorstep or driveway! If you would like to donate gently used clothing, feel free to leave a comment or question at the bottom for more information.
