A shirt you'll never wear again is still a shirt someone will.
That's the simple thing that makes this work, and it's why we've built Recycle for Change around clothing collection — our main source of fundraising. Not everyone can write a check in these tough times, but most of us can go through a closet.
Getting people to choose donating over throwing away means two things: telling them why it matters, and making it easy.
So we put boxes where people already are, and we look after them. Our drivers work 24/7 to keep them free of overflow. Our graffiti abatement team works hard to keep them looking their best. When one still needs attention, we ask you to call — and we'll resolve it within 24 hours.
From there, everything comes to our facility in Richmond. Our warehouse staff separates clothing from the toys, books, and household goods that come with it. The clothing is sold on the open used-clothing market, funding everything we do.
The rest doesn't go to waste either: non-clothing items are either sold or donated back to local schools and our nonprofit partners, and some become holiday gifts. We're constantly striving to be a zero-waste facility.
The same commitment takes us into community cleanup events, school coat drives, art box projects, and many other programs that benefit our local community.
We're grateful to everyone who supports this. And we're not finished.
We look forward to finding new and innovative ways to keep textiles out of our landfills.
Whether it's hosting a Box, organizing a collection drive, or just dropping off a bag — every pound counts.