The necessities of life

We talk about the necessities of life, food, clothing, and shelter and there is a lot of discussion about people being homeless or hungry, but we don't say as much about clothing. If we are really going to change the world, we need to wipe out homelessness, hunger, and lack of clothing - all three.

There is no easy solution of course. If there were, the problem would have been solved long ago. Large cities do have shelters and that might ease the problem, but it doesn't solve it. There are more food and hot meal programs in larger cities too. What about something to wear? Although there are clothing drives, that doesn't seem to be addressed as much. I've lived in places where there were clothing donation bins in public places and civic organizations and churches often have occasional collections.

What do people donate though? Let me tell you this - a shirt full of holes or a dress with the zipper missing isn't much use to a homeless person. They usually don't have access to sewing supplies and equipment. Donating shoes that are worn out or pants so thread bare that you can read the newspaper through them, doesn't do a lot of good. If you have old shoes and clothes that are ugly and worn out, throw them away! If you want to donate clothes but don't really have anything that is appropriate, consider making a purchase at a low-cost store and donating them. You might also consider volunteering for an organization that supplies clothing to those in need. While the need for clothes in this organizations is obvious, they are often in need of folks to help them collect and distribute.

There are also a number of organizations across the country that deal with clothing for those who are in need. Goodwill is a good place to start. There is also http://www.clothingdonations.org/