Published: July 30, 2008 02:15 am            

Clothes call: Resale, donations two options to recycle unwanted clothing

PALESTINE — School begins in less than a month and as families begin looking at supply lists and dress codes for what’s going to be needed, that old question will be asked — what are we going to do with these old clothes?

With multiple children in a family, or extended family or friends, the time-honored tradition of passing along gently worn clothing still works well.

It’s hard to beat a free pair of $15 jeans only worn once or twice before school ended or the owner grew into the next size.

But for those without someone to pass on items for more use, here are a few options available locally to recycle clothing and shoes and prevent them from going into the trash.

Yard sales If your children’s clothing ranks between “not new” and “still useable” and you’d like to recoup some cash to be used for the new round of school outfitting, set aside a few hours on a Saturday morning for a yard sale.

While students in Palestine and Frankston ISDs are limited by the dress code in what they may wear to school, other nearby school districts aren’t as restrictive, and kids still need play clothes for when they’re at home.

As you’re cleaning out the closet and dresser drawers to make room for the new clothes, sort the old by size into cardboard boxes (often available for the asking at local grocery stores or retail shops) or plastic shopping sacks (loosely tie the handles when full and tape on a size label).

Price items by size group — children’s’ shirts sizes small to extra large 25 cents, children’s jeans sizes 6 to 14 $1 — and have the kids make a posterboard price list. Stick a colored dot on the garment label to represent the price (orange for 25 cent shirts, green for $1 jeans, etc.) and remove and stick on a notebook page when someone purchases the item as a way to keep track of what’s been bought. You can even initial each item to divide out the profit afterward as an incentive for children to help.

Consignment shops If you’d like to get as much return on your original investment as possible, consider a consignment shop. Such shops act as the middle man between buyer and seller and receive a percentage of each sale as reimbursement for putting the clothing on display for shoppers to see.

The Clothes Garden, 112 W. Oak St. The Clothes Garden takes in gently worn children’s and adult clothing and puts it out on its racks for sale at prices that fall somewhere between new and yard sale.

Items brought in for resale must be clean and on hangers, in good repair (no missing buttons, zippers all work, free of holes and snags, etc.), in current season and current fashion. Don’t bring stained or faded items.

In addition to clothing, the shop also accepts shoes and baby furniture.

To schedule an appointment for clothing evaluation, call the shop at 903-723-6122. The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Charitable organizations For those without enough free time to repair, sort and sell their used clothing, several local groups are happy to accept donations.

Goodwill Industries, 101 W. Palestine Ave. with a remote drop-off location at the Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot at 2223 S. Loop 256. Goodwill accepts donations of clothing, shoes and other items to be resold at its stores. According to www.goodwill.org, the organization keeps 84 cents of every dollar earned in its stores to support its mission to provide job training and other career services to help those in need be successful in the workplace.

Clothing should be clean and in either boxes or bags, not on hangers. Items do not have to be ironed or dry cleaned, and may be from any season. Some school uniform items are currently in stock.

An attendant will be present from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at each location to take donations.

For more information, call 903-731-4060.

Multi-Cultural Education Center, 1402 W. Oak St. Since 1982, the Multi-Cultural Education Center, run by Henry-Smith Families Inc., has accepted donations of clean clothing, furniture and other items in its efforts to help those in need in the community.

Residents already have begun coming by for back-to-school clothing, so donations are needed. Clothing should be clean, but does not have to be ironed.

Bring donations Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. while the center is open. Donations left after hours are at risk of being taken.

For more information, call 903-729-3488.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 503 N. Queen St. The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop is a non-denominational shop offering clothing, shoes, toys, household goods and religious items at deeply discounted prices as a community mission. Money raised from the shop goes to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank to help families in the community.

The shop accepts donations of clean clothing, food and household goods.

Items may be brought to the shop between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

For more information, call 903-729-5093.

Sanctuary House, 919 S. Magnolia St. The Sanctuary House fills the gap of other agencies by supplying coats, clothing, groceries and other emergency needs for the homeless, including single mothers and their children.

Some of the services provided by Sanctuary House include a mandatory work program for all adults able to work; transportation to and from the work place and to and from school; school supplies; assistance with childcare for younger children; and mandatory adult education classes, job skills training and financial counseling. Voluntary counseling includes mental, spiritual, legal and financial counseling.

Donations of clean clothes are accepted boxed or bagged, as are household items, furniture, food, personal hygiene products and medical equipment. The thrift shop is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For more information, call 903-723-2930.

Second Glance Thrift Shop, Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee Counties, 313 W. Debard St. The Crisis Center’s thrift shop takes donations of clean clothing to stock its racks for resale and to assist clients in need. Clothing does not need to be ironed or in season to be donated. Items that are stained or not able to be sold will still be accepted for further donation to overseas charities.

In addition to clothing, the thrift shop also accepts furniture, appliances, toys, books and other items.

According to the organization’s Web site (www.mycrisiscenter.com), funds raised in the thrift shop help support the Crisis Center’s services which include round-the-clock help with emergency crisis counseling and services by trained volunteers; personal accompaniment with trips to the hospital, police department/sheriff’s office, and pre-trial and court proceedings; professional counseling and therapy geared to the needs of victims of child sexual abuse and adult survivors of sexual assault; shelter to victims of domestic violence; community outreach and education; and support groups.

Donations are preferred from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday during store hours.

For more information, call 903-723-5858.

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Beth Foley may be contacted via e-mail at bfoley@palestineherald.com

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On the Net:

Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee Counties, http://www.mycrisiscenter.com

Goodwill Industries, http://www.goodwill.org

Multi-Cultural Education Center, http://geocities.com/mcecpalestine/

Palestine ISD (for dress code), http://www.palestineschools.org (click on “For Students” and “Dress Code”)

Sanctuary House, http://www.netministries.org/see/charmin/CM06993?frame=N

        

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