Recently there has been a few questions about what happens to the clothes that are donated to us. This blog post will answer that and will show you some more of what we do as a charity and with the clothes donations we receive. It is worth noting that all the clothing donated to Little Lives UK directly links to our ability to aid the community around us.
Three charity stores
The majority of the clothing donated becomes stock for our three charity shop stores.
Once your donations are picked up, they are then directly dropped off at one of our charity stores. Upon arrival, the bags of clothes are sorted into different racks by our team. Each bag is then sorted with the items hung up on racks ready to be put out.
To ensure that the items are clean and ready for sale, we steam all the clothing individually beforehand. From the clothing that is sold, all profits goes towards supporting our shops and projects. The majority of our fundraising comes from these sales meaning every purchase has a direct impact, allowing us to help more in the local community.
Refugee centres
Some of the clothing donated we directly use to support the community. For instance, in the past, we have donated clothing to local refugee centres. Recently we have been supporting Hestia, a great charity supporting victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse. The clothing and other items that we provide is fundamental to their journey forwards towards #Lifebeyondcrisis.
Hospitals
Furthermore, we work closely with local hospitals who are often in need of clothing donations. We recently worked with St George’s hospital in Tooting, donating them a number of items of clothes that were needed for some of their patients.
Individuals
We also aid families or individuals who are struggling financially and were in need of some more clothing. Little Lives UK always ensures that the clothes donated to us are used for good use.
If you would like to view any of the recent items that have come into our stores then please do have a look at our Instagram page. This is the best place to get exclusive previews of our stock and find out more information about our stores.
Clothing Recycle
Selected items of clothing from our three stores are passed onto clothing recycling organisations. Through them the items are distributed to other countries including Africa to ensure no item goes to waste.
As a charity we are fully aware of the fact that The Waste and Resources Action Programme (which operates as WRAP) estimates that around £140 million of clothing goes to landfill each year. With the average lifetime of an individual garment being just 2.2 years.
Through recycling items via these 3rd parties we are able to contribute to reducing this waste allowing us to help look after the planet for future generations.
