As a whole, Americans are very generous. In 2013, Americans donated a total of $418 billion to charitable organizations. Of the total, nearly three-quarters came from individual donors, whereas 16% came from educational organizations and only 5% came from corporate sources. Last year, donations were even higher. Americans donated approximately $457 billion to charity, a 9.3% increase from 2013. Remarkably, the percentage of individual, educational, and corporate donors stayed the same.
Though all donations are wonderful and selfless in themselves, the fact remains that the organizations that can afford to donate the most actually donate the least, leaving individuals (many of whom don’t exactly have much funds to spare) to pick up the bulk of charitable donations. This is one of the many reasons why donating to charity on an individual level is so important in today’s day and age.
In particular, charitable clothing donations provide millions of people across the country with adequate clothing that they otherwise could not afford. There are more than 600,000 people in this country who are homeless and millions more who live in abject poverty. For these men, women, and children, charitable clothing donations are needed to brave the elements and to go on with their less-than-comfortable lives. Though donating clothes, especially small items such as a pair of socks or a small t-shirt, may not seem like much, they mean the world for the less-fortunate and the struggling.
There are a number of organizations in the U.S. that accept and distribute lightly used clothing. There are also a number of ways to donate itself. Clothing donations can be dropped off at a local charity drive or bin. It is also possible to have donations picked up right from one’s front door or curbside! No matter how one makes charitable donations, the end result is always the same: providing warmth and comfort for those who truly need them the most.
