with thanksgiving and christmas just about here, it’s time to think of others. for the fashion lover in you, here are 5 ways to give back:
1) donate money to the uniform project. indie designer, Angie, from Norwegian Wood, is this month’s pilot uniform project. she’s wearing the same dress every day of this month in order to raise money for Free the Children. if she raises $8,500 for Free the Children, a school will be built in Bagad, India.
2) lend money to kiva. you can lend to entrepreneurs in other countries and in the US, who only need a small amount of money to expand their business. you can search for people in retail, who make and sell clothes, jewelry, etc. the best part is, you are lending money, not donating, so you get it back. kiva also has gift certificates.
3) buy jewelry made by women in Uganda from BeadforLife. the women in this group make beautiful jewelry from colorful recycled paper – from magazines, calendars, pamphlets and cereal boxes. they also make shea butter lip balm, soap, and jewelry bags. buying something from BeadforLife helps families in impoverished communites in Africa.
4) donate old clothes to goodwill, the salvation army, or your local shelter. there’s no doubt there are clothes in your closet that you haven’t worn for a year. donate them so that a less fortunate family can give them as a gift, especially old coats.
5) buy a onesie from Baby Teresa. for every cute onesie you buy, one onesie will be donated to a baby in a less fortunate part of the world. the Australian founder’s goal is to clothe at least one baby in every country in the world.
know of any other great ways to give back? please share!
PS – check out my guest post on La Vie..J’aime for the fashion edition of what i’m thankful for.
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Contact your local school and ask for the social workers who work with indigent kids. Find out what sorts of items the kids need most, be they school supplies or clothing. Then, go around your house to find what you can donate and ask your friends to do the same. Take the items to the school.
Many children grow out of their clothing when their parents cannot afford to buy new clothing. This of course often happens as the weather is cooling, and these kids find themselves facing winter with only cheap summer flipflops, lightweight shorts and discount store undershirts. By providing them with any type of warm clothing, coats, closed toe shoes, umbrellas, gloves, hats, etc. you can help increase the likelihood that they will be in school and avoid illness. Kids who don’t have warm clothes are not likely to stand at the bus stop or walk many blocks to school in the rain or snow.
Do it.
You can even make it fun by having a potluck at your house and requiring that each guest find ten items in their home that can be donated to a school child, be they school supplies or clothing. Kids in middle school and high school can use adult size clothing. Just because a piece of clothing doesn’t look like it was made for teeny boppers doesn’t mean they can’t wear them. A black cardigan sweater looks great belted over skinny jeans and a cool T shirt. On a guy, it looks cool and trendy. Be creative. Backpacks and purses as well as accessories can really brighten a kid’s wardrobe.