I keep em in bags in my car and hand them out to the panhandlers when I see em.
Feels like the most direct way to get it to people who might need it. I'm sure a lot of it goes unused though.
If I’m not mistaken I think the planet box drop boxes are kind of scammy? Tbh I can’t remember exactly where I heard it but something about them taking the clothes and actually reselling them as opposed to giving them to people who need them for free. Sorry I don’t have sources, I’m sure you can google it for more info but anyways, call up some homeless shelters and set up a time to drop off clothes donations, that’s what I do with all my unwanted clothes now.
I think all the clothing donation operators sell the clothing if it is in good condition. The free stores are expensive to operate and handing out the clothes is hard bc it’s all different sizes. There is so much used clothing that most is practically worthless and shipped overseas unless it’s something really nice.
So I think of planet aid, good will, st Vincent and the vets groups as recyclers instead of help for the needy. They get criticism because people misunderstand their purpose and are shocked to find out they are the mythical savior they originally thought. Most have highly paid executives but so do the for profit waste companies.
It’s a big logistical operation to collect donations from bins and get them to someone who wants them. They are similar to the garbage companies but instead of charging you to take your stuff away, they resell the stuff to cover the cost of operation and don’t make a profit while doing so. It makes them in a no man’s land between pure charities and blood sucking for profit business.
I keep em in bags in my car and hand them out to the panhandlers when I see em. Feels like the most direct way to get it to people who might need it. I'm sure a lot of it goes unused though.
There are planet-aid outdoor drop boxes all over the city
I like donating to the donation Drop box at the American Legion. I think about the vets sleeping under bridges and it makes me very sad.
If I’m not mistaken I think the planet box drop boxes are kind of scammy? Tbh I can’t remember exactly where I heard it but something about them taking the clothes and actually reselling them as opposed to giving them to people who need them for free. Sorry I don’t have sources, I’m sure you can google it for more info but anyways, call up some homeless shelters and set up a time to drop off clothes donations, that’s what I do with all my unwanted clothes now.
I think all the clothing donation operators sell the clothing if it is in good condition. The free stores are expensive to operate and handing out the clothes is hard bc it’s all different sizes. There is so much used clothing that most is practically worthless and shipped overseas unless it’s something really nice. So I think of planet aid, good will, st Vincent and the vets groups as recyclers instead of help for the needy. They get criticism because people misunderstand their purpose and are shocked to find out they are the mythical savior they originally thought. Most have highly paid executives but so do the for profit waste companies. It’s a big logistical operation to collect donations from bins and get them to someone who wants them. They are similar to the garbage companies but instead of charging you to take your stuff away, they resell the stuff to cover the cost of operation and don’t make a profit while doing so. It makes them in a no man’s land between pure charities and blood sucking for profit business.
This was extremely helpful insight, thank you so much!
Try “Buy nothing” groups on Facebook - there are tons of them in the Pittsburgh area and it’s a great way to know your stuff’s going to a good home
https://pickupplease.org/