If you’re like many Americans, you’ve made one or more charitable donations of clothing or household items within the past year. In 2007 alone, approximately $5.8 billion worth of these and related items were made to various American charity foundations. Just four years later in 2011, an estimated two million tons of household textiles and clothing were either donated or properly recycled.
Even though many people within the United States realize the importance of donating and recycling, recent data shows that Americans tend to just donate or recycle 15% of the clothing they no longer need or want. The remainder, which amounts to nearly 10.5 million tons a year, ends up in the country’s landfills. This makes textiles, which includes clothing and household textiles, one of the least recycled materials that could be reused and/or repurposed.
One of the reasons that it’s important to donate and recycle clothing and household textiles is that these donations can assist military families in need. The Military Order of the Purple Heart, for example, accepts donations for military families as well as the blind. You’re probably aware of the Purple Heart award. These have been awarded to soldiers that have been wounded or given their lives while serving their country in the military. This military decoration is given in the name of the President and to date, an estimated 1.7 million of these awards have been received by military personnel and their families.
It’s important to note that the sale of clothing donations for military families assist with funding vital programs. In addition to health programs, The Military Order of the Purple Heart also provides education and family support programs for all veterans. As recently as 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for veterans was 20.4%. This was two percent higher than the national average for veterans between the ages of 18 to 24 years of age.
If you have been gathering clothing donations for The Military Order of the Purple Heart, these can be conveniently picked up by GreenDrop. However, if you live and/or work close to a GreenDrop drop-off site or to a charitable store operated by The Military Order of the Purple Heart, these also provide convenient options for you to make a donation to support military families. When you make these donations, you are joining a community of people that feel good about helping others. In order words, you are joining the ranks of 95.4% of the Americans that engage in some level of charitable giving. Remember that donations for military families not only help military families, they also help the blind, the community at large, and make a significant environmental impact.
