It is often hard for the well provided population to visualize the condition of families who don't have enough clothes to keep themselves warm in winters or a decent dress to wear to a job interview. But these are facts and all of us can contribute to lessen the misery of the impoverished people around us. All of us can part with clothes from our overloaded closets that can be of great use to a person who can never afford to buy them off the shops. A coat or dress could help to secure a job, or to keep warm during the winter. It is a comforting thought. Your donated clothes might be the only decent clothing that he or she possesses. To donate clothes, you do not really have to look for a charity, especially if the number of clothes you wish to donate are few. If it is just a bag full, donate them to homeless people wandering on the streets. Of course, when you have four or more bags of clothes to donate, it's better to donate them to a charity such as The Salvation Army or the American Red Cross or such organization that reaches out to millions of poor and homeless people who need all the help they can get. If you are donating in bulk, many charity organizations might offer to pick up the clothes from your house. That also saves you the hassle of delivering the bundles at the charity. There are two ways in which the clothes are usually used by these charity organizations. They are either donated directly to the needy person or are sold off and the funds generated are used for the various programs undertaken by the organization. Most charities will expect that the clothes that they intend to donate directly should not be worn out, and should not look shabby or mended. So, donate only those clothes which are not worn out. In case you are donating to a charity with specific needs, make sure you donate the specific clothes which are in a condition that they require them to be in. Most importantly, do not forget to claim a tax deduction. As a U.S citizen, you qualify for a tax deduction when you donate clothes to a recognized charity. The concerned charity might also provide you with the guidelines to evaluate your donated items. |
