Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Giving Back with Wearable Collections

Many don’t know this about me, but there was a time in my life when I had to go without a lot (a lot!) of things because there just wasn’t enough money to go around in my family. (Not that I’m not Ms. Money-Bags by any means). There was my mom, myself and my two little brothers and my mom made the best of what she had my prioritizing her funds to support what was important.

We always had food, but as a single mom with a limited budget, my mom still had to get creative with what we had. Thank goodness my mom can COOOK! (Mmm Mmm Mmm) She was able to make just about anything into a gourmet meal. But growing up, my desire to keep up with the fashion trends was something I had to suppress until I was able to get a job of my own. When I was younger, some of my clothes were handed down from friends whose children outgrew clothes which I was able to fit. But in my teen years, taking advantage of clothing donations was a little bit of a saving grace. My mom is a British lady in all senses and would never be caught dead wearing someone else’s clothing unless she absolutely had to. I do not have that problem. Clothing is all good to me… just wash before you wear.

I didn’t have the privilege of going back-to-school shopping the way others did, but because of the clothing I received from donations and the low cost items I was able to pick up at thrift shops, I was able to have almost-new clothing and in some cases brand new clothing with tags still on.

My addiction to clothing manifested when I came into this world, so I literally went bezerk once I was able to afford to buy myself whatever I wanted. I overcompensated for the girl who couldn’t have and because of this, I have way more clothes than any one person should posses. It’s sick! I have hosted many clothing giveaways with my friends and I still have so much more to give away.

This weekend I finally switched my closet from summer to winter… sad. In the process of switching, I was also able to rid myself of clutter. I packed up every item of clothing and shoes that I have not worn since…

I heard about Wearable Collections Clothing Recycling Program on NY1 about a year ago and I’ve been meaning to deliver the extras from my closet to them, but they weren’t in convenient locations at the time so I joined their mailing list in hopes that they would host a clothing drive in my area soon…and finally they are!!

After going through my closet this weekend, I have about three to four Hefty trash bags full of clothes to donate (I kid you not!). And I feel really really good about being able to return the favor of clothing someone who, like me, might not have the funds to partake in something as frivolous as shopping. And sometimes the shopping isn’t frivolous, it’s necessary.

If you have items to give away, check the Wearable Collections website to see if a clothing drive will be hosted in your area. You never know just how much your random items could mean to someone.


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