Comments on: Donating and Recycling Old Clothes

By: Sheryl

Sheryl — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:56:06 +0000

Unfortunately, this would be hard to arrange. In the U.S. at least, used clothing is rarely donated directly to people in need, and when it is — generally through local clothing drives by churches and schools — the clothes are provided to poor people in the same community, not in other countries.

Some of the clothes donated to large national organizations, such as the Salvation Army, do eventually make it to other countries, but not as donations. They are resold in the other countries at a reduced cost.

My best suggestion is to find a church in the U.S. or other well-to-do country that has members who have emigrated from DR Congo. Such a church might organize a clothing drive for you.

Best of luck.
.

By: fred

fred — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:59:21 +0000

I would like to receive used clothes for poor people in my country(DR congo)
What can i do?

By: kimberly ann quito

kimberly ann quito — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:45:03 +0000

PLEASE donate a old stock dress, clothes, shoes, toys, cd/dvd, bags etc.. to get a garage sale for a cause of the new build church here in PHILIPPINES, BARANGGAY PANIPUAN CITY OF SAN FERNANDO , PAMPANGA.. this church was build in 1980′s were they need for renovation.. so please if you have a good heart pls donate.. thank you.. and GOD BLESS.. contactus in +639351638990 or email us in kimberly_quito@yahoo.com

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:11:56 +0000

One other option to remember is local consignment stores and sales. For seven years, I have been involved with a consignment sale run twice a year by the local parents of multiples club. We clean out our closets of the clothes our children can’t or don’t wear anymore. We freshen them up a bit, put them on hangers, put a price on them and bring them to the sale. Other parents can shop for clothing at rock-bottom prices and most of us usually make enough money to purchase clothing for the next season — usually at the sale as well. Many of the items go through three families or more before the clothes are donated to other causes. With kids outgrowing clothes before they’re worn out, this is a great way to recycle them and help each other as well.

By: Maria

Maria — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 02:25:03 +0000

That is such a wonderful idea! I’m sure there are people out there that also make quilts, accessories and purses etc… If you think about it the possibilities are endless.

By: Ched

Ched — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:37:38 +0000

I send my old wearable clothes and worn out clothes to poor people in a third world country through friends residing there. Rags are made out of the worn-out and then peddled in the streets, sidewalks and markets. The shipping cost is very minimal.

By: auto donation program

auto donation program — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:30:12 +0000

When donating such things, make sure that you are donating things that can still be used. What some people do is to donate clothes that are torn and are good only as rags

By: pat shelby

pat shelby — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 01:45:19 +0000

As I have seen homeless folks walking on the sides of their feet in shoes which were too worn down or soleless and clothes which looked as if they had had no care for months, I used to send all my cast-offs, clean of course, to whatever charity called to pick up.

I figured that some of the charities could at least supply something
clean to put on while sleeping or while their clothes were being washed.

I had previously been told by one charity’s solicitor that clean rags
were used in the cancer ward or one of the areas they serviced,
possibly Amvets or Purple Hearts.

Then I saw some snooty director of one of the charities (can’t remember which), complaining on TV about people giving them things that were not salable and which were simply a waste of their time throwing them away.

After that, I started keeping clothing in hopes of finding out WHICH
organization could actually use them.

It would be great if we had a real list of who can use what. I hope
to never give anything else to the organization represented by the
whiner who had no use for what he would not wear himself.

I do tend to give as much of everything as I can to Salvation Army. They tend to beat everyone else I have seen on the news to disaster sites such as Katrina and Haiti, handing out food, water, etc. days before more business modeled organization appeared.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:44:37 +0000

You can recycle old clean flat sheets, pillowcases, and towels to animal shelters or places like the Lindsay Museum in Walnut Creek.

By: Maria

Maria — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:39:26 +0000

Sara, what a great post. I have often felt the same way. I’m sure with the economy as it is, many would be happy to have a job sorting at the collection centers in each municipality. And how about food banks hiring people to sort as well? People need jobs more than people need to assuage their guilt working for a few hours at a food bank. They are, in effect, taking away a paid job from someone who needs one. And don’t get me started on all the junk food and white bread food banks donate.