6 Reasons to Consider Donating Clothing to Charity

Helping families in need

The people in the United States are generous people. Most of us like the idea of helping families in need or giving back to our communities. Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to make monetary donations or to commit to hours of volunteering for the charity of their choice. The good news is that there are other ways to give back that help us at the same time. Donating clothing to charity is one way we can accomplish a lot with simple actions.

Reasons to Make Used Clothing Donations:

  1. You help the non-profits stay open. Most of the non-profit organizations who take charity clothing donations will sell them in their consignment or thrift shops. The money they raise then goes back into the business. This is a way many of these organizations are funded. You support all of the good programs when you take the time to give your clothing and items to charity.
  2. You can help people after a disaster. The United States sees some of the most volatile weather on the planet. In addition to the hurricanes, blizzards and tornadoes we experience, the country also sees earthquakes and wildfires. After these events, people are often left with nothing but the clothing on their backs. There are some organizations that do not accept clothing donations but many do. By donating clothing to charity, you can help these people get the items they need, when they need them.
  3. You can lower your tax bill. When the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) looks at your taxes, they consider charitable donations of items and clothing to be the same as cash. If you donate clothing that is worth more than $250 (total, you do not have to donate one item worth that), you need to get documentation from the charity. To give you an idea of how much it is worth, an overcoat for a man typically is worth about $60 to the IRS. That used (but still working) coffee maker can be worth anywhere between $4 and $15. Before you go to the charity with your belongings, make a list of everything. That will really help you a lot with the process once you get there.
  4. You will get a more organized home. Most people have a lot more clothing than we need. It has been estimated that most Americans have more than double the amount of clothing they had two decades ago. That is a lot of clothing! Moreover, we grow out of certain items, as do our children. By donating clothing to charity, we help others and get control back over our homes and closets.
  5. You will help the planet. It has been estimated that about 10.5 million tons of clothing is sent to landfills every year around the United States. This is very expensive real estate and it is terrible for the environment. Items that can decompose safely, when they have an oxygen supply decompose in a way that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. By donating clothing to charity, you help another person or family and do not add to global warming. That is a twofer!
  6. Making these donations will make you feel good. No matter how you go about donating clothing to charity, you will get a happiness boost when you do it. People who give their time, their money or their items get a boost emotionally. When you give back to your community, the activity activates the pleasure centers of your brain. This has been shown in study after study of people who spend time doing something for others. They are happier, less stressed and live longer. There is also evidence that people who give of themselves get something back. This may not happen immediately but it will happen, according to sociological research. Maybe it is karma but what goes around, really does come around.

Sometimes, we do not see how useful some items and pieces of clothing are. We get tired of certain garments and forget that other people may be able to use them. They say, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This is very true with our used clothing and household items. This is also one very good reason to consider donating clothing to charity.

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