Just took a spin
through the old bedroom closet and drawers, and I finally (regretfully) bagged
up the bathing suits and flip flops until Summer 2020, and sent my summer
clothes to the attic in labeled black trash bags. The labels invariably fall
off, so when Steve (and it’s always Steve) climbs up to retrieve them in May,
I’m never quite sure whose duds will be in the bag I’m tearing open.
When I ascertain
that they (the duds) are mine, I realize that lots of them are, literally,
duds: faded and worn, or otherwise undesirable. Next step? I confess I used to
just fill up bags for Goodwill (here read Salvation Army, Vietnam Vets, etc.)
and leave them outside for pickup, without really evaluating the items I was
giving.
But then, on our
2008 mission trip to Vermont, we spent a day at a Goodwill Thrift Store,
sorting the donations. I gotta tell you, it was a stomach-turning activity:
bags were filled with, not just faded and worn clothes (mea culpa) but really
gross castoffs: baby sleepers covered in dried spit up, muddy jeans and, my
personal fave, a bag full of wet, moldy shirts and pants. At the end of the
day, 90% of the “donations” were in the garbage. How is this thoughtlessness
serving anyone, most of all the folks who have to rely on charities for their
garb? It is akin to the food collections where people give cans and boxes of
expired canned beets and stale cereal. It all reminds me of comedian Mitch
Hedberg’s line: “When someone on the street hands you a flyer, it’s like
they’re saying “Here, YOU throw this away!”
For years, our
preschool participated in Operation Christmas Child. In theory this is great:
you fill up shoeboxes with little toys and gifts, which are then distributed to
children in third world countries. But then I read about what actually happens
in too many cases: the stuff in the boxes is sometimes flimsy and breakable,
often items the kids in those countries have no idea how to play with, and,
most importantly, these “presents” take away income from the struggling local
businesses who are trying to sell their own playthings.
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Teddy Bears to donate |
So this year, the
kiddos are instead giving brand-new stuffed animals to our local Children and
Family Services. These cuddly toys will be given to children who need to be
removed from their homes, due to neglect or abuse. I imagine a frightened
little one, getting a small measure of comfort from a new teddy bear—that, to
me, is the true spirit of giving.
Nowadays, I try to
examine anything I am planning to donate, and ask myself: “Would this be something
my family would truly appreciate, were they to need something
to eat or wear?” If not, out it goes! My goal is really trying to be more
sensitive and aware of others and their actual needs.
It definitely makes
for slower closet-cleaning, but I believe it’s worth it.
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What's going in this bag? |
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