Are you tired of that old worn out blazer, or Hawaiian shirt you just had to buy on your last vacation?! I know I am which is how I know it’s time to de-clutter my closet. And as if that old Hawaiian shirt (or the thought of wearing it again) wasn’t enough motivation, the American Red Cross is making it worth your time.

 

The St. Louis Area Chapter teamed up with Merchandise Pick-Up Service (MPS), a for-profit company that places clothing donation boxes throughout town. All you have to do is take your donation to any of their convenient locations. The Red Cross doesn’t even pick up the costs or the clothes associated with the boxes. Instead, MPS makes a quarterly donation to the American Red Cross based on the volume of collected clothing. Thanks to our partnership with MPS, our chapter has already generated over $12,000 just since June of 2008. 

 

And since MPS is dedicated to the environment, the used clothing collected by the company is either reused (right here in our own community) or recycled. Currently, only 15% of used clothing is redistributed or reused in this country, leaving 85% to fill the nation’s landfills (can you believe textiles account for 4% of the landfills in America)! 

 

So not only are you cleaning your closet and making a contribution to the Red Cross, you’re also going green! It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Even if your closet is organized and color-coded, there are other ways to help. Businesses can demonstrate their stewardship of the environment and dedication to the community by hosting a clothing drive or an MPS donation box on their property. MPS makes is easy with daily pickup, 24-hour customer service, full-time maintenance staff, a monthly cash donation to the Red Cross on their behalf, and a monthly statement at absolutely NO cost.

 

So I guess you could call this a win-win situation for everyone involved…even the Hawaiian Shirt.

 

Check out our Cause Marketing page for more information and to find a clothing donation box near you.