Donating your unwanted clothing is a great way to recycle and provide warmth to people in need.
If you have clothes that no longer fit or that you no longer wear, don't throw them out on the curb with your trash. Although you might not want to wear your old clothing, many people who are less fortunate would gladly accept them. Clothing donations should be clean and in good condition. If you live in New Jersey, there are several ways you can donate your clothing items. Wherever you decide to donate, you will gain the satisfaction of knowing that your old clothing still has purpose instead of crowding up a landfill in the Garden State. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Wash your unwanted clothing and discard any items that are severely stained or torn.
2. Sort the clothing by size and type of clothing. Some places that accept clothing donations take only certain types of clothing.
3. Store the clothing in clean plastic bags. Clear bags work best because they allow sorters at donation centers to view the contents without tearing into the bag.
4. Take children's and teenagers' clothing to your local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization near your area. You can donate to one of New Jersey's nine BBBS agencies by taking donations directly to its office or following the donations link on the website bbbsnj.org.
5. Offer the clothing to a local homeless shelter so that the administrators can give the clothing to a person or family in serious need of clothing. New Jersey shelters include Hoboken Shelter in Hoboken, Home Front in Lawrenceville and the Bergen County Homeless Shelter in Hackensack.
6. Give the clothing to a church in your community so the clothes can be distributed to community members or possibly given to needy people in third world countries as part of a church mission.
7. Make a tax-deductible donation of your items to a charitable thrift store like The Salvation Army. Search your local phone book for a Salvation Army Thrift Store in your area of New Jersey or visit the website salvationarmy.org to search for a store in your area.
8. Provide interview attire to help women obtain employment by donating your business clothing to the Dress for Success organization. There are branches in Jersey City, Trenton and Madison that are looking for gently worn business attire for women.
9. Post a listing for free clothing on a website like Craigslist.org or Freecycle.org and make arrangements for a respondent to pick up the clothing donation. These websites have groups that operate in every state across the country.
10. Drop the donation bags in a clothing donation bin in your area. Organizations like DARE and Goodwill provide metal donation bins throughout counties, such as Morris County.
Tags: your area, your clothing, your unwanted clothing, clothing donation, donation your, Salvation Army
