Currently, the average woman in the United States owns 30 outfits. This is considerably more than in 1930, when on average, a woman just owned 9. While many women of today will buy new clothing on a seasonal basis, others will go shopping and purchase new items, including shoes, at least once a month.
In addition to buying new clothing, both men and women will purchase used clothing. This includes individual items, outfits, and in some cases, entire wardrobes. While the average person in the United States buys around 10 pounds of used clothing items every year, many people tend to purchase considerably more.
Some of this used clothing may be in need of slight mending or altering, which is easy to repair. Much of the clothing that is available in used clothing stores, however, is in good or excellent condition. It’s not unusual, for example, to find outfits that have been only worn once if at all.
When people donate to charitable organizations such as veterans charities, 80% of these donations are used to help the needy and to fund programs. The Military Order of the Purple Heart, which accepts charitable clothing donations, provides assistance to veterans and their families. Furthermore, they also help the blind and contribute to recycling efforts by keeping used clothing and household textiles out of landfills.
Even though many people do donate their clothing to veterans charities, others will throw these items away. As a result, 10.5 million tons ends up in landfills. It’s surprising that textiles are considered to have one of the lowest recycling rates of any other reusable material.
Approximately 95.4% of people in the United States engage in some type of charitable giving. In addition to donating clothing and other household items, these individuals may also give the gift of their time by volunteering in the community and for veterans charities.
It is easy to prepare donations, as they can be folded and placed in either boxes or bags. If you’re also looking for charities that pick up clothing donations, GreenDrop will do so on behalf of The Military Order of the Purple Heart. This makes it even easier, and more convenient, to make donations that benefit veterans and their families.