Building Upon the Benefits of Decluttering

The Organizing Blog has often extolled the many virtues of decluttering in streamlining your space and building your overall well-being — and offered plenty of targeted advice on many aspects of the topic.

We have also made it easy to get rid of the extra junk that we’ve helped you clear out of your closets, basements and garages by contacting ClothingDonations.org for convenient, tax-deductible pickups throughout the year.

But you may not yet be aware of what happens to your donations and the ways in which they help the nation’s veterans. Reducing clutter is reward enough, but your donations are crucial to programs that help veterans throughout the country.

When you donate to ClothingDonations.org, the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) coordinates pickup. VVA is a national veterans service organization that’s funded mostly though fundraising activities and membership fees.

The association’s primary source of funding is the resale of items donated to ClothingDonations.org. VVA picks up your generous donations and resells them in bulk to qualified, privately owned thrift-store operators, who in turn sell the used goods to bargain-shoppers.

Money from resale goes directly to local, state and national programs designed to help VVA’s more than 75,000 members, other veterans in need and their families. They help throw chapter get-togethers, build memorials to those who gave their lives in service, send veterans’ grandchildren to college and more.

Proceeds from your donations assist veterans nationwide in accessing guaranteed government benefits, affordable housing and health care. They help veterans cope with problems such as Agent Orange exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse.

On a national level, VVA uses the funds to advocate for legislation supporting veterans such as the Blue Water Navy Act. In short, all funds garnered from donation pickups help veterans continue to be active and vital members of the communities in which they live.

So, the next time you schedule a pickup with ClothingDonations.org, you can feel doubly good. Your simple act — decluttering — will not only improve your situation, but will also improve the lives of thousands of veterans in your community and others throughout the country.

We make it easy to #ThankAVeteran and give something back!