clothing donations

Packing for the All-American Road Trip

Posted on June 15, 2021June 14, 2021 by Jordank

After a long #pandemic year, lots of people are anxious to get out of the house and #travel. They want to see new sights, visit friends and relatives, and generally shake things up a little bit after spending an extended time in quarantine.

While airline travel has become less daunting now that more than half of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, rental cars are prohibitively expensive. That makes a #roadtrip in your own car a good option, even with gas at $3 per gallon.

Start with a clean, roadworthy car. If your car has unaddressed mechanical issues you think might affect your trip, you’ll want to get them checked out before you go. At the very least, you’ll want to check all tires and top off the fluids.

Once you’ve vacuumed the car’s interior and cleaned its windows, you can begin to pack. You and any companions will spend a lot of time inside the car during the trip, so bring only what you need and can keep organized.

Pack clothing and other items you won’t need until you reach your destination in the trunk, along with a roadside emergency kit. Inside the car, a cell phone mount, charger(s), and a small cooler for drinks and snacks are essential, says the travel blog A Dangerous Business.

If you start the trip with a fresh car, the main challenge will be to keep it organized for the duration of a trip. If you’re traveling with children, give each a bin, packing cube or over-seat organizer to keep their chosen road trip essentials in.

Good things to pack include sunblock, a blanket, bath towels, paper towels and cleaning wipes, and a refillable water bottle. Passengers might like to add a neck pillow, window shades, and other items that can help them travel in relative comfort.

To manage the trash you produce during the trip, have a garbage receptacle handy, and empty it whenever you stop for gas or a restroom break.

Thrift stores supplied by your generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org often have used items that can be repurposed for your road trip. Check them out before you go as a good source of inexpensive travel accessories.

Then, be on your way. Have a #safe and #orgnaized trip!

June 14th’s Historical Significance

Posted on June 11, 2021June 7, 2021 by Jordank

Not only is June 14 the day that the Continental Congress voted to adopt a new #flag for the newly formed United States in1777, History says, it was also the day that enlistment in the Continental Army was authorized two years earlier, making it the birthday of the U.S. Army. If you would like to support the nation’s #veterans this Flag Day, simply gather up some of your unused stuff and visit ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free #donation #pickup.

Planning Summer Travel in 2021

Posted on June 1, 2021May 31, 2021 by Jordank

Not so long ago in 2019, the unofficial beginning of summer was the beginning of summer travel season. COVID-19 put a stop to that last year, but now that the United States is (mostly) vaccinated against the deadly disease, pent-up demand is fueling summer trips large and small.

Air travel is at almost 90% of prepandemic numbers, and with more countries overseas easing lockdowns, international travel is starting to creep upward. But as you plan your summer trips, don’t expect the fine-tuned machine that served travelers in ’19.

For one thing, you may not be able to rent a car — or afford one in your chosen vacation spot. Auto rental companies slashed fleet inventories during the pandemic to stay solvent, the Washington Post says, and may not replenish them until next year at the earliest.

Business travel is expected to rebound late, leaving the leisure traveler with plenty of options in hotels and accommodations. Rooms may be somewhat more expensive in popular locations, USA Today says, but change and cancellation fees have largely disappeared during the panemic.

For travelers who are still wary of crowded indoor environments, the great outdoors beckons. Roadtrippers.com suggests booking campsites now to avoid disappointment as pretty much everyone tries to get safely back to a new normal, travel-wise.

The road trip is still perhaps the best option for summer travel in 2021. Pack the car and take off to visit the friends and family you couldn’t last year; gas prices are up due to the Colonial Pipeline hack and other supply issues, but it remains a great way to see the sights.

Roadtripper’s planning tools allow you to build an itinerary that will suit your budget and checklist, whether your ideal trip is city or country, active or 100% R&R. The Organizing Blog can offer advice on keeping your vehicle #neat, #clean and #organized during long stretches on the road.

If you pick up any #tchotchkes or #souvenirs on your summer trips, make sure they are things that you want to use every day; otherwise, they will quickly turn into #clutter. If you are already overburdened with #stuff, take only pictures to remember your travels.

As you pack, set aside any stuff you don’t use and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, contactless #donation #pickup. It will clear your head before you take off on a leisurely weekend or bucket-list trip — and make your home a welcoming place to come back to.

Celebrate Earth Day This Week and Every Week

Posted on April 20, 2021August 25, 2022 by Jordank

Earth Day 2021 is not just a day — it’s a three-day event. Arranged around the theme “Restore Our Earth,” the observance will offer thousands of affiliated events worldwide to increase awareness of climate change and other environmental issues.

Scheduled this week are a global youth and education summits, a virtual “We Shall Breathe” summit from the Hip Hop Caucus, and a live event with workshops, panel discussions and performances on official Earth Day itself, Thursday, April 22.

Global summits will be held virtually, making it easy to join even if pandemic restrictions are in place. Fans of the planet are invited to participate in cleanups, tree plantings, teach-ins and other activities nearby; locate one near you on this map.

You can make every day Earth Day by volunteering with, donating to and advocating on behalf of environmentally friendly organizations. But perhaps the best way to help the earth is to modify your behavior in order to shrink your impact on the environment.

If you can’t go totally vegan to reduce factory farming, for example, you could at least observe Meatless Mondays. You can pick up litter when you’re out for a walk. You can calculate your own carbon footprint and take steps to reduce and offset it.

Reusable shopping bags and bottles can cut your use of single-use plastics. Plastic waste has infiltrated every part of the earth’s ecosphere, and humans and animals are suffering ill effects from ingesting the chemicals they release.

The more that can be reused without going into landfills, streams and oceans, the better. That’s another good reason to #donate your used clothing (a major source of plastics in the water supply, by the way) and household items to ClothingDonations.org.

#Donated items can have a second life with new owners, not only saving on waste, but also eliminating an equivalent amount of new goods needing to be manufactured. Plus, the proceeds from resale go toward helping veterans nationwide.

The Organizing Blog encourages you to get involved in efforts to clean up and protect the environment in ways large and small this Earth Day and every other day of the year. The saying may be hackneyed, but it’s true: We only have one earth — let’s protect it.