Many people find they have an overabundance of clothing and household items that they no longer need, and are not sure what to do with. What many are unaware of is that their donations play an important role in helping disabled veterans. Clothing donations can go to charities that help support this group, which in turn will provide resources to those in need. Here are three ways that the donations make a difference for those in the community and across the country.
Clothing Donations Are a Useful Way of Ensuring These Resources Do Not Go to Waste
Since Most individuals throw away over 60 pounds of clothing and household items every year, it makes sense to donate them to an organization or charity that will make use of them. Besides helping disabled veterans, many charities specialize in helping families in need. Sometimes the donated items are either sold, and the proceeds are used to fund programs that help these groups, or the items are given directly to the individuals who would benefit from them, thereby lightening their load. This is helpful for parents who have young children, and are given gently used donations of clothing or other household donations.
Many Charities Offer Donation Pickup to Accommodate Busy Individuals Who Want to Help
For those that would like to help better their community and assist others, many organizations offer donation pickup. This means that a representative from the charity would come to a donor?s home, and pick up the unwanted items. Sometimes this works out in other ways too, since individuals can leave their donations at the curb, or somewhere else that is easily accessible. Since most people donate less than 20% of their unwanted clothing, many are unaware that this easy option exists, and allows them to give generously without having to load up all their items and drive down to the charity.
Giving to Charity Allows Individuals to Write Off Items as Donations for Tax Purposes
Anyone who gives to charity will know that by doing so, they can write off the amount of items that were donated. For example, someone who donates an unwanted coffeemaker can write off about $10 or so. Individuals who donate over $250 worth of items are entitled to a receipt that details how much they have given the charity. For those that fall into high-income tax brackets, this is especially useful, since it allows them to write off donations for non profit organizations, while still cleaning out their house and getting rid of things they no longer use.
For anyone that wants to be involved in helping disabled veterans, helping military families, or anyone in need, then looking for charities that accept donations of clothing is always a good place to start. Often these organizations will make it easy to donate, sometimes offering to pick up the items, and they can always be written off for tax purposes. The items may be used to raise money for programs, or they may go to directly benefit the individual(s) in need.
