So just on a whim, we’ve decided to build this people powered resource and we need your help!
The other night in the low tox club (Good things are happening there, you should totally join! ) one of the members asked where best to donate men’s suits so they ACTUALLY got to men who needed them pronto. There were a couple of awesome responses and it got me to thinking: Sheesh, I bet there are loads of low tox peeps who’d know a great local organisation to donate to for people who desperately need clothing, and so here we are.
We have listed a few below. Where do you come in?
If you know of one (wherever you are in the world!), please pop the link to it in the comments of this post, and then each Tuesday when we do our comments admin, we’ll add them to the actual post so that the list of resources grows and grows. There are so many people who need work clothes, formal gear and more, and we wanted to ensure that the life of our clothes lived long past their time on our backs, and onto the backs of peeps who need specific things.
Thanks for being a part of it.
Alexx x
Dress for Success is a charity that improves the employability of women in need in NSW by providing, free of charge, professional clothing, a network of support and the career development tools to help women achieve self-sufficiency. You can help them by donating what they term “gently used, nearly new professional attire”. This is what they accept:
- Interview appropriate suits
- Interview appropriate blouses
- Professional separates including blouses, slacks, skirts, dresses, blazers and jackets
- Work appropriate shoes
- Jewelry and scarves
- Handbags (briefcases, portfolios or work appropriate handbag)
- New unopened toiletries
- New Unopened Makeup
Modelled on the women’s service, ‘Dress for Success’, they provide clothing for men who cannot afford quality clothing to make a good first impression at job interviews and for other important appointments.
They accept business shirts, pants, jackets or whole suits – clean, in good condition and preferably purchased within the last 5 years. They accept all sizes. Please also consider donating belts, ties, shoes, new socks and hygiene items such as cologne and aftershave.
Donate to your local op shop
Go to your local Red Cross, Salvation Army, Vinnies or The Smith Family stores. Most of them will have clothes bins outside of their shops.
They sell the donated clothes in their stores and proceeds go towards the work that they do with underprivileged communities.
Donate to a retailer’s programme
Drop your bag of unwanted clothing in the recycling box at your local store (currently available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stores). All textiles are welcome – any brand, any condition – even odd socks, worn-out T-shirts and old sheets. The textiles are then sent to the nearest recycling plant, where they’re sorted by hand and depending on the state of the clothes, they will either be “reused, reworn or recycled”.
Comments 4
Cuddle Bundles
A local Sydney charity that collects baby gear in excellent condition – clothing, linen. feeding equipment, toys and books. We also collect your spare yarn for our knitting groups to make blankets from. Volunteers collect, sort and distribute these “as new” bundles to local Australian mums & babies in need as well as responding to underprivileged communities overseas.
Contact us at [email protected]
See more info at http://www.facebook.com/cuddlebundlesoz
I have jackets, jeggin jeans and pants never worn or worn once. I dont want to donate to a charity shop, their prices are too high if you have been our of work for a long time, I want to give them away – where can I go? The ones I have tried in Sydney have answering machines and don’t return calls.
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Hi Patricia, that is really lovely of you to want to donate direct. Why don’t you approach some women’s shelters either in person or via email. I am sure they would appreciate the generous donation 🙂
You could try Mummies Paying It Forward (various locations in Sydney). Check out their website. They do lots of different things, but one thing they do is assist women (and kids) fleeing from domestic violence with few or no possessions.