Sustain for Students: Clothing for kids in ME

In the 4 years I have spent in a college town I have seen so many items of clothing go to waste, whether that's given to a friend who throws half of them away, throwing them in the dumpster to begin with, or bringing them to a big thrift store that barely puts anything on the shelves. I started to research more and learned that, according to EKOenergy.org, "only around 15 – 20% of the clothing that is given to charity shops each year ever makes it to the charity shop shelves. The volume of clothing they receive is just too high." So, I started to think about who might need these clothes that do not have the means to get them from a big thrift store like GoodWill, which is popular around my college. 

I decided to reach out to school systems around the state of Maine and ask them if they are in need of any clothing for their students. I knew that I could definitely get some bags of clothing from my college town. A week or so ago I had a phone call with the Lewiston high school's "Success Closet" which is dedicated to taking clothing donations and dispersing them to those in need within their school system. I started to cry when I was told that last year in the Lewiston school system alone there was 111 homeless elementary students, 19 homeless middle schoolers, and 79 homeless high schoolers. Students are even living in “tent cities” and still attending school, and 18 of those students graduated last year. I had a couple of phone calls with other schools who said that they are in absolute need of clothing for their students. 

If kids and their families are homeless, how do we think they can get to a GoodWill? Simple answer, they can't, and they don't. Kids go to school and just want to feel normal, feel warm, and feel loved. I believe if they had the clothing that they need it could help toward allowing them to feel this way. 

On top of this issue fast fashion and wasted clothing items. The fashion industry is the third highest polluting industry in the world. It takes 7,000 liters of water to make one pair of jeans. That is the amount an average person will drink in the span of 6 - 7 years. Additionally, workers who are making clothing in other countries are underpaid, abused, and forced to work in unsafe environments. The fashion industry has even caused multitudes of child labour. 

So I want to take action. I have been driving around Maine to collect clothing you might be throwing away or taking to Goodwill. I will be donating these clothes DIRECTLY to schools around Maine, ages K - 12, from my hand to the school system's. Not all clothing donated will be practical for kids to wear, or not all fabrics will be in great enough shape for them. Therefore, in order to remain sustainable, reduce waste, and reduce the demand for fast fashion, clothes that are not used for donation to the schools will be repurposed by me and sold for rewear.

I am asking for monetary donations solely for the fact that I will need a way to pay for gas, car upkeep, laundry mat costs (I'd like to donate the clothing clean), ways to upcycle the clothing, create a website, and possibly in the future the need for rented space to do sorting / have a mailing address. Thank you to everyone for being so willing to donate their clothing and shoes and helping me in making a direct difference. You will be aiding me in helping not only the environment and fashion industry worker's lives, but local kid's lives within the state of Maine. 

Instagram: @sustainforstudents