Charity begins at home

Recently, a family moved out of a rental home just down the road from me. Placed against the porch was a huge bin with perfectly good clothing and other items in it. Whenever I see sights like this, it makes me sad to think that all this family had to do was to donate these items to charity.

I've always found it wasteful to just throw items away simply because I don't want them anymore. Perhaps I get this from my grandparents and mother, who tend to keep stuff whether they need it or not (I come from a family of pack-rats). When I do discard belongings I no longer want or need, it's because they cannot be repaired, rendering them useless to anyone who may want them. For certain items, I will seek out ways to recycle first before adding to the garbage bin. If I have things that can be of use to other people, I am willing to make the trip to a second-hand store or to pass along my things to a charitable organization. Upon my move to Texas, I donated my son's crib, baby swing, 3 large garbage bags of summer and winter clothing, and a few other smaller items to my former church. They assist homeless families, who have been provided a temporary home, to reestablish themselves and these families are given furniture, clothing, and anything else required to make a house a home. These items are theirs to keep and take with them once they acquire a permanent residence. Currently, I donate clothing that my son outgrows to a special cause that clothes children who have been taken from abusive/dangerous homes. Many of these children enter the foster care system with nothing but the clothes on their backs and many don't have shoes or other necessities. This organization accepts clothing, toys, baby furniture - anything that is needed to care for these children.

So the next time you are purging your excess and unwanted household items, if they can be of use to others, pack them up and give them to charity. What goes around, comes around.