Since it was founded in 1881, the American Red Cross has always been one of America’s foremost relief organizations, offering help and supplies to those in times of great need.
The Red Cross has done a lot of good work over the years and its mission of relief continues all day, every day. All day, every day Red Cross provides relief for communities by providing shelter, food, water, blankets and other essentials to those in need of a helping hand. The Red Cross is the 13th largest charity in the United States as ranked by private donations.
Everywhere you turn, there are always people going through hard times and organizations like the Red Cross provide them the things they need to continue through life. In 2018 alone, the Red Cross was estimated to have more than nine million relief items, served more than 20 million in meals and snacks and provided more than a million in overnight shelter stays.
Though the Red Cross receives a lot of monetary donations, leaving donated household items at your local Red Cross pickup area is a good deed as well. The Red Cross pickup program is just one of many pickup programs across the United States. If you’re going to donate items and leave them for the Red Cross, here are some tips for deciding what to donate.
- Know your value: First things first, if you’re going to be a Good Samaritan, don’t donate junk. Chances are you’ve probably got a whole cluttered basement full of rarely used items, whether you’ve got books, games, clothes or old appliances. But when you’re sorting them, pretend you’re donating the items in question to a family member and what they might say.
- Consider where it’s going: The average American buys a lot of clothes these days; like twice as much as 20 years ago. But even with all that, only about 15% of Americans’ used clothing is donated. The rest of it often goes in the trash as the average American throws away about 10 pounds of clothes a year.
Many organizations such as Purple Heart Pickup and the Red Cross have charity pickup and will come to your home to collect American Red Cross clothing donations. If you’re one of those people who’s got piles of unworn clothes in the closet that you need to get rid of, donations are a great way to get rid of clutter. What one organization might not take, another organization will allow you to make donations for pick up at home. - Follow the rules: If you’re set on donating, make sure you follow whatever guidelines are in place. For organizations that do a charity pickup like the Red Cross pickup, make sure you put your items in storage containers (or boxes) that can easily be moved. Some areas have neighborhood drop-off sites where you can leave your items to donate.
In addition to online donations or monthly donations, those interested in giving to the Red Cross can donate by phone or by text or by mail. You can also donate in the following ways:
- Workplace giving
- Fundraising
- Major contributions
- Donating through a will
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The American Red Cross provides many means of assistance to people in need and every monetary donation or item donation goes a long way in helping those in great need of it. Making American Red Cross clothing donations is important and the choice to make those donations is an investment in a caring, reputable organization that does a lot of good across all 50 states.
Making American Red Cross clothing donations to a local Red Cross pickup spot is a better way to get rid of old clothes instead of throwing them out. Americans consume nearly 20 billion garments a year, nearly one piece of clothing per week. By making used clothing donations to the Red Cross, you are insuring those items end up with people who need them, instead of just throwing things out.
Those who want to make American Red Cross clothing donations or are interested in making some other type of donation, can do so at RedCross.org. This will also help you find the Red Cross pickup spot closest to your home.