As You’re Donating Your Old Clothes, Do Have Some Empathy

Translated…

Awhile ago, I’d seen it in the news, that a certain orphanage received a box of donated second-hand clothes, and, as the staff opened up the box, the saw that the clothes inside were torn up.  And as I read in the newspapers of how the children asked “why would someone donated torn clothes to us”, my heart wrenched.

which would you prefer to receive???

or…

When my son was in the elementary school years, every time around graduation season, the moms at the school would start the “Donating the used uniforms to be reworn again” activities, to get the donated and no longer needed uniforms for the younger generations of school children, so the kids from the poorer households can save up on that particular expense.  Although the program was for the used uniforms, but, there were parents who’d donated other sorts of clothing items as well.

Once, the group of us, volunteer mothers used the weekends, to sort out the clothes donated, as we’d opened up one of the plastic bags, a rancid smell came up, apparently, the donor didn’t read the note of “do wash the items before donation”.  And, as we’d taken the items out, we were all, shocked, there were, clothes with sweat stains, and what was worse was, there were cigarette butts and remains from betel nuts on the items too!

This was, such an awful feeling, we’d all felt, that if the donors weren’t donating, because they were thoughtful, and because the items can still be used, then, they should just, save it!  Don’t use the “name” of showing kindness to donate your garbage to us, it’d not only made us angry, it’d also, turned our hearts cold too.

One of the single mothers told us, that she’d once received a box of clothes from her friends, and, the items inside were all, either faded, dyed, with holes in them, or, things that were, altered, to unwearable, and, they’d all looked like, they should be, thrown out, and, all of a sudden, her heart of gratitude sank.  She said, that back then, she was pressed by money, and life, and, as she’d received these items, her friends told her, “I think you’ll like it”, the clothes that can’t even be worn again, she’d felt, humiliated and started to cry.

And because of all of these experiences, when I’d started, cleaning out the closets at the end of the year, I’d sorted through the items carefully, and fold up the still in great condition, but no longer fitted me clothes neatly, t hen, I’d taken the items to the organizations.  And if it were clothes that were seriously damaged, or something that even I’d hated seeing, I’d passed it along, to the cleaning crew to be recycled.  I truly hope, that all who plan to donate their used clothes, to have some empathy, and, if your point is to pass along the love, do make sure, that you don’t make the receivers of these items uncomfortable.

And so, you shouldn’t just, donate something from your closets, you need to, pick and choose, which items you can donate, because, just because someone else is receiving our donated items, doesn’t mean that the person is looking for a handout, the person still has her/his pride, and, nobody wants to receive something that’s old, torn, worn, or in bad condition, do you?  I’d think not!