There is very little that most people know in terms of the financial situations that other people find themselves in across the nation. Here is a statistic to help support this claim, in the United States, Philadelphia has the worst poverty rate amongst the top ten largest cities. For many poor people, it is a great help to receive clothing donations and this is a process that can even benefit those who donate the clothing. Here is what you should know about veterans clothing donations.
Every year the United States will recycle roughly 2 million tons of used clothing and less than half of that is every worn again. Just about 30% of this amount of used clothing is cut up for use as industrial rags, and another 20% is shredded for couch stuffing and home insulation. Keep in mind that in 1930, the average woman in the United States owned nine outfits whereas today the average woman will own more than 30 outfits.
Every year United States citizens recycle or donate only 15% of their used clothing and the rest, which is almost 11 million tons a year, will end up in landfills. One of the poorest recycling rates of any reusable material belongs to textiles such as clothing. On average, most Americans will toss out 82 pounds of clothing waste each year which is a shame because these articles of clothing could easily be given to veterans clothing donations.
Veterans clothing donations help provide clothing to veterans who have fought for our country and have returned home but live in poverty. Unfortunately, this is a reality for many veterans which is horrible because they deserve to be treated like heroes. Since the average American will buy 10 pounds of previously used clothing each year, there is no reason to not give clothing to veterans clothing donations.
Organizations that help military families are not as easily accessible as veterans clothing donations. Just about 95% of all people in the United States will participate at some level of charitable giving so why not get involved by giving resources to veterans clothing donations?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the unemployment rate for veterans between the ages of 18 to 24 was just about 20% in the year of 2012. Not to mention the fact that the unemployment rate for veterans in the United STates is nearly 2% above the national average for most normal citizens. An estimated 80% of all donated clothing in America is used by charitable organizations for donations to the needy and for funding.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has also revealed that as in March 2013, over 200,000 recent veterans were unable to find work. These are people who need to benefit from veterans clothing donations, so think about them when deciding if you want to donate clothing. This is alarming because the Purple Heart award is a United States military decoration given in the name of the President to soldiers wounded or killed while serving in the military and nearly 1.7 million Purple Heart awards have been given out.
In the year of 2007, there was an estimated $5 billion worth of clothing related donations made to charity foundations in the United States. In 2011, nearly 2 million tons of clothing was recycled or donated to charity. Research has produced data revealing that 12 million tons of clothing and textile waste is thrown out. Do not waste your clothes, give them to veterans clothing donations.
In Conclusion
Every day the average person generates over 4 pounds of trash which equates to 1.5 tons of solid waste each year. In the year of 2012, people in the United States recycled and composted almost 87 million tons of material. If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, it could save about 25 million trees each year. Make sure that you get involved with clothing donation programs that benefit veterans, it is important to help give back to those who sacrificed for this country.
