Another Sunday night. The kids are in bed, your husband is upstairs reading, and you have just finished organizing the refrigerator so that it will be easier in the morning. The top shelf is full of nutritious choices for breakfast. The bottom drawers are full of just packed containers of healthy fruits and vegetables for lunch. As calm as it is right now, you know that tomorrow morning will be chaotic. Getting the best food items ready so that they are easy to grab in the morning, however, might mean a little less stress as the new school week starts.
Once everyone leaves for the day tomorrow, you have big plans. The one and only thing on your list after you deliver everyone to school is to get ready to donate clothes to Red Cross services by the end of the week. For, just as you are thankful for the peaceful quiet on a Sunday night in your home, you understand that the rest of the parents in America are not in the same place. The evening news continues to talk about the struggle of the Louisiana flood victims trying to piece together clothes, food, and school supplies so that the schools can have a chance to reopen.
Are You Getting Ready to Donate Clothes to Red Cross Collection Centers?
In a time when used clothing donations are desperately needed, a Red Cross Donation Center is a perfect starting point. Through the organized efforts of trained staff and volunteers, a Red Cross pickup service can come to you or you can go to them. Understanding that the school year has been completely interrupted for many students in Louisiana and that others across the country are in need as well, the decision to donate clothes to Red Cross can give every American a way to contribute.
Unfortunately, even in a time of great need, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that they average American throws away as much as 10 pounds of clothes each year. The best way to avoid this wastefulness is to routinely sort through the clothing that is your your house and take inventory of what is being used and what is simply just taking up space. Those items that are never worn or have been outgrown are perfect candidates for you to donate clothes to Red Cross.
A coat that may never get worn in your house, for example, may become the only coat someone recovering from a house fire may have until they are able to replace their own valuables. The extra pink sweatshirt that your youngest daughter refuses to wear because she has had a change of heart about her favorite color, may be the only new looking shirt that a less fortunate girl has to wear to her first day of school.
Red Cross Donations Can Come in Many Forms
MAny people in the U.S. only think of the Red Cross and other relief agencies at a time of national crisis. In reality, however, the American Red Cross provides relief for both families and communities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By supplying the basics like blankets, food, blood, and shelter, this agency is often the first, and sometimes the only, response to victims in America.
Currently, statistics indicate that the American National Red Cross is the 13th largest U.S. charity when it is ranked by private donations. The fact that it received $687 million in 2014 in private donations, for instance, means that this organization is well respected and trusted.
How much and how often do you give? Are you one of the average Americans who purchases more than one new piece of clothing a week? If so, when you are bringing new items into your home, are you also seeing if there are some unused items that could be donated? In all, 70% of people in the U.S. give to charity every single year. And while some donations are very large, the average total means that 3% of American income is given to charities each year. How about you? Are you and your family doing your part to contribute at least 3%?
