donations

Today I sent in my first donation to Soles 4 Souls, which I had posted about here awhile back. I collected all of our old shoes which are still decent and packed them up. I did have to pay shipping, but I kept it as inexpensive as possible (it was like 30 pounds of shoes!) Sorry I didn't have a chance to take a picture before I shipped them off. I was glad to send them to a charity that would give the shoes a chance to be reused.

Not all clothing donations go to needy people, as you might suspect. This isn't a bad thing, just a reality. Making sure old clothes and shoes avoid the landfill is important, and donating to charities is a way to do that. The charity may sell the goods for a profit in their own stores, or sell the goods to a textile recycler who will use the fabric.

The Green Guide recently had a good article called, "What Happens to Donated Clothes". I found it interesting and reassuring. Sometimes I struggle and put so much effort into finding the right place to give certain items (old baby gear, clothes, shoes, etc.) Next on my list: where to give stuffed animals.