Various surveys have shown that more than 95% of Americans participate in some form of charitable giving, whether it’s money or donations. In 2014 alone, more than $350 billion was giving to charitable organizations.

While there are many good reasons to donate to charity and many reputable charities to donate to, but it seems one of the most overlooked groups in needs are U.S. veterans. These folks risked their lives to protect the freedoms of average Americans. In many cases, they had suffered life-altering injuries or had a hard time adjusting to everyday life when they returned home.

If you donate household items, you’re getting rid of things you don’t need and giving them to folks who could make better use of them. In many cases, your rarely or gently household items or can go a long way in helping those in need.


This is especially true of clothing. When it comes to veterans clothing donations, there’s no better donation to make because the numbers are staggering when you consider what average Americans do with old clothes.

• The average American buys at least twice as many pieces of clothing as 20 years ago and only 15% of used clothing is donated on average. That means there’s a lot of clothing in your closet you’re probably not wearing that can be recycled.
• About 4.7 billion pounds of clothing are donated by Americans each year, but about 10.5 million tons of clothing continues to end up in landfills annually.
• The average American throws away nearly 70 pounds of clothing, linens and textiles each year. Textiles account for 5% of municipal waste because only about 15% of them are ever recycled.
• Believe it or not, almost 100% of household textiles and clothing can be recycled regardless of condition. So for example, if you haven’t worn an item in six months, donating it to someone who might use it might be a good option.
• In 2006, 2.5 billion pounds of fabric were kept from landfills by used-clothing purchases and 45% of recycled clothing is worn as secondhand clothing.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to make veterans clothing donations instead of job throwing old clothing away. Rather than having it waste away in a landfill, you can make veterans clothing donations, ensuring your outgrown or old clothes end up in the hands of people who can make better use of them.

If you’re going to be help out your fellow man and make veterans clothing donations, it’s important that you take care not to donate junk. If you’ve got old ratty jeans or T-shirts, pitch them in the trash instead of a donation box. If you’re trying to do a good deed, you don’t want to donate junk that’s unfit for anyone to wear. A good rule of thumb to follow—imagine you were donating clothes to a family member. If it’s not good enough for them, it’s not good enough to donate.

As previously stated, the average American buys a lot of clothes these days. Thankfully, many organizations such as Purple Heart Pickup and the Red Cross have charity pickup and pickup spots for you to leave boxes of clothes for donations. Check with each organization to make sure you’re following their donation guidelines too. For organizations that do a charity pickup, make sure you put your items in boxes or containers that can be easily transported. Make sure too that you’re at home to help donate your items on a scheduled pick-up day.


There are any number of ways you can donate to American wounded veterans charities and other groups who are in need of aid. Veterans clothing donations and donations of basic essentials can go a long way in helping those in need. If you’re going to donate, find out where you can take your donations of clothes and where to donate household items. Also double check to make sure your items are in good condition before you turn in a donation box.