Donating Clothes and Toys
“And the crowds asked John, ‘What then should we do?’
In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats should share with anyone who has none’”.
-Luke 3:10-11
Can cleaning our closets be an act of discipleship? Take a second to make a mental inventory of your closets and dressers – how many sets of clothes do you think you own? Now, how many do you wear on a semi-consistent basis – say, at least once a year? If you are like most people, that number is shockingly low – with some guessing in the neighborhood of only 50%. The same goes for children’s toys: the average American child owns a staggering amount of toys, and yet many of them go untouched for months at a time.
The next time your family is feeling the itch to do some spring cleaning, consider taking the time to do a deep dive into your clothing and toy closets and to donate all of those items to local recycling or second-hand center. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that the average family throws away almost 70 pounds of clothing per year, and that only 15% of items are actually recycled. Not only is this incredibly harmful to God’s creation, it also is missed opportunity to share much needed items with others in our community who aren’t as fortunate as we are, and to put our faith into practice.
How You Might Go About This:
For Younger Children
For Older Children
In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats should share with anyone who has none’”.
-Luke 3:10-11
Can cleaning our closets be an act of discipleship? Take a second to make a mental inventory of your closets and dressers – how many sets of clothes do you think you own? Now, how many do you wear on a semi-consistent basis – say, at least once a year? If you are like most people, that number is shockingly low – with some guessing in the neighborhood of only 50%. The same goes for children’s toys: the average American child owns a staggering amount of toys, and yet many of them go untouched for months at a time.
The next time your family is feeling the itch to do some spring cleaning, consider taking the time to do a deep dive into your clothing and toy closets and to donate all of those items to local recycling or second-hand center. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that the average family throws away almost 70 pounds of clothing per year, and that only 15% of items are actually recycled. Not only is this incredibly harmful to God’s creation, it also is missed opportunity to share much needed items with others in our community who aren’t as fortunate as we are, and to put our faith into practice.
How You Might Go About This:
- Confirm that you have clothing recycling or donation center near you.
- Set aside at least a half hour. We all could identify a shirt or two that would be easy to let go of, or some clothes that our kids have long outgrown, but take the time to go a little deeper. What perfectly nice items in your closet do you never wear? What clothing items or toys might bring joy to someone else?
- Talk through why you are doing this with your kids, whether on the drive to the recycling/donation center or during the cleaning process itself.
For Younger Children
- Imagine how another child might feel as they receive this toy or piece of clothing. What would their face look like? How would they feel?
- The Bible says “Do not forget to do good and share with others” (Hebrews 13:16) – why does God think it’s important for us to share what we have with others?
For Older Children
- Were you surprised with how many unused clothing items or toys you had to donate? Why do you think so many of us own more than we need?
- The Bible says “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (James 2:15-16) – do you believe we have a responsibility to provide for others’ needs? Why or why not?