Times are tough for many people in the United States. The sluggish economy and lack of growth is hitting Main Street hard. No one, however, bears the brunt of this more severely than the homeless. For the wealthiest country in the world, the U.S. has a tragic homelessness problem. According to a recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are a little shy of 600,000 homeless people in the country today. Of those people, nearly 25% are children and the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 12% are veterans. These are distressing statistics that goes to show how bleak the economic situation in the U.S. truly is.
One way people can help in the fight against homelessness and poverty is by donating clothes to charity. Charitable clothing donations provide much needed warmth and comfort to the most vulnerable members of society. Without these donations of lightly used clothing and other means of support, these people would have absolutely no way of surviving.
When discussing poverty, homelessness, and charitable giving, it’s important to mention who gives the donations in the U.S. Recent figures from 2013 show that overall, Americans are a very generous people. A good 72% of all charitable donations made in the U.S., $240 billion, were made from individual donors. Compare that to educational organizations, which only donated 16%, and corporate organizations, which only donated 5%. Though all charitable donations are generous in themselves, the fact remains that ordinary people have to pick up the slack of those who can afford to donate the most.
By donating clothes to charity, you can make a direct difference in the lives of the homeless and poverty-stricken. Donate your clothes. Donate used toys. Donate household goods and other items. They may seem like insignificant donations but to the thousands of men, women, and children out on the street, they mean the world.
For more information on how to donate used toys and clothing, feel free to leave a comment or question at the bottom.
