Relief organizations responding to wildfires in the Los Angeles area are expecting donations of canned food, bottled water, personal hygiene products, blankets, baby formula, kitchen supplies and other essentials in the coming weeks.
Clothes will also be accepted. There are tons of them.
As aid workers know, many Americans are eager to donate used clothing. It seems that in the aftermath of a natural disaster, a heartfelt desire to help people in need met an opportunity to organize their own closet.
When Hurricane Helen tore through western North Carolina last fall, causing flooding and destroying or damaging more than 70,000 homes, local volunteers braved the cold weather to distribute electric blankets and other items. I was in dire need of a propane heater. And what was loaded onto the truck was old clothes.
“I was really overwhelmed,” said Valentine Riley of Boone, North Carolina. He is the co-founder of State Line Resource Station, a rural distribution center that remained operational in the days after the storm. “There's no way we have the people to clean it, sort it, organize it by size.”
I needed a few items, including new work boots. Other things became a burden. “It's about five or six vintage semis,” Riley said.
Rather than clearing debris or hauling wood, Riley had to redirect volunteers to deal with the influx. They sent the waste to a large storage room, which was soon filled to the ceiling. Eventually, the resource center put up a giant sign that read, “No second-hand clothing please.” However, the bag arrived.
It appears that large numbers of clothing donations have already been received in response to California's wildfires. Patrick McClenahan, CEO of Goodwill Southern California, said some shelters are no longer accepting any more items.
To stop the flow of unnecessary items, Goodwill announced that it has partnered with the Red Cross to implement a coupon program. People affected by the fire can receive up to two $25 vouchers that can be redeemed for clothing, shoes and household items at Goodwill stores. Goodwill has implemented similar programs in response to other natural disasters.
“We think this is a practical, organized way to do it,” McClenahan said, adding that January is the busiest month for donations as people make New Year's resolutions to declutter their homes.
Those who work at nonprofit organizations are careful about promoting or banning certain items, keeping in mind that clothing that can no longer be worn is donated with goodwill.
“We don't want to deter people from doing what they can to help people in need,” said Stephanie Fox, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, which is providing relief efforts in Southern California.
So what on earth do you need when clothing is often not the most important need after a natural disaster, although of course it's not all that plentiful?
“Monetary donations are the best and quickest way to help people,” Fox said.
Goodwill and the Salvation Army supported that view.
“Donating funds is the quickest and most effective way to support disaster relief,” Salvation Army spokesman Dale Bannon said in a statement. relief efforts. ”
A Goodwill spokesperson encouraged those who wish to help to donate to the Emergency Wildfire Response Fund or the Southern California Wildfire Relief Program.
Pamela Paxton, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said people may prefer donating books or household items because it feels more immediate than donating money. You can also donate what you already have on hand, even if you don't have enough money.
“Especially after a disaster, people think, 'I've lost everything, so I can give anything,'” Paxton said. “Clothing is a very quick, easy and tangible way for people to feel like they're being helped.”
If a charity receives a large amount of clothing, it's because people have clothing they can donate. According to a study on fast fashion by McKinsey, between 2000 and 2014, global clothing production doubled and per capita clothing purchases increased by about 60 percent. Many people throw these fast fashion items away after wearing them just seven times.
Much of it ends up in landfills or given away. Goodwill said it received 112 million donations in 2023, representing approximately 5.8 billion pounds of goods. A significant portion of these donations were textiles.
Kelly Broman Fulks, director of communications for the Boone United Methodist Church in North Carolina, said certain donated clothing items were helpful in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, especially coats and sweatshirts in good condition, but churches often decline them. He said he had to. Worn out clothes.
“I think it comes from a good place,” Broman Fulks said. “I think people are moved by what they see in the media, the sense of loss,” she said. Still, “people who have lost their homes don't have a closet for a closetful of clothes.”
