Programs

  • Clothing and Care Kits Distribution

    Provided 200 pieces of clothing valued at 84 dollars to a family resource center. We have hundreds of items that we are beginning to process for the summer months. We have eliminated over 150 pounds of textiles from the municipal waste stream. This return reflects our first 4 months in operation. We have used this time to develop relationships with local organizations. We have also used this time to build our infrastructure and establish effective and efficient methods to process clothing items. We are still developing a process to remove heat-transferred logos that will not require the use of chemicals. Our public contributions may not seem significant and out ratios/metrics may not compare directly with other charitable organizations; however, this is due to being a start-up. We have collected several hundred garments and were able to process many of them for distribution to a resource center that provides free "shopping" days for children throughout the year. We also are working on processing hundreds of athletic shirts with heat-transfer logos that will be distributed in the summer months. 2 Shirts is also developing strategies to reuse any waste items such as damaged garments. Rather than selling items for a price per pound, we believe we can reclaim the fabric for arts and crafts as well as finding an environmentally friendly process for turning them into artisan paper - all of which can used in our program. We will do anything we can to extend the useful life of items and keep them from the municipal waste stream. Since the tax year ended, we have received and processed a significant number of items and are preparing them for distribution. We were also able to assemble dozens of care kits for unsheltered individuals that include a hat, gloves, space blanket, and hand warmers. We are sharing the kits with a local ministry that serves that population. We are continuing to build, acquire equipment and supplies that we need, and establish relationships to further or mission of helping people. This coming year will see us helping over 500 people through our partnerships with other local missions and organizations. We have hundreds of people locally without shelter who are exposed to the elements. They are in need of seasonally appropriate clothing and other necessities. We will provide coats and hats in the winter and light shirts and shorts in the summer months. Provide 7-day wardrobes to a hundred or more children each year who are placed into foster care in emergency situations. These children are taken from their homes for their safety due to various reasons. When they are placed with a loving foster family, they often do not have any personal belongings and are expected to go to school the next day. We are working with a local ministry that provides suitcases containing clothing, pajamas, toiletries, and a few personal items such as teddy bears and books. Provide clean clothing to people who have experienced hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural and man-made disasters. Many people attempt to donate clothing and personal items at the scene of such disasters and it cannot be used and often has to be disposed of. We are developing a system that can enable us to establish a supply chain to help relief agencies supply these needed items. To reduce waste, we accept employee uniforms and clothing that have company logos on them which are usually unable to be donated. We remove the logos and branding and relabel them so that they can used again. This allows us to delay thousands of pounds of waste from entering the disposal stream. Sourcing - We acquire clothing items from 3 primary sources: corporate donations, current and former employees with uniforms and branded-logo apparel, the general public. We will work with the human resources and social responsibility departments of companies to raise awareness of our work and to develop programs allowing them to ship their items to us and/or facilitate collecting items from their employees to send. Process - We expect that items will be classified into the following groups: SWAG or Corporate-branded clothing provided to employees and customers, Uniforms provided by the company or purchased by employees, and Retail apparel purchased from stores that may or may not be branded. Clothing is sorted by its condition, whether new or used. Used items have to be inspected to determine if there are any holes, tears, damage, stains, and so on. SWAG and branded uniforms are decommissioned. Generally, apparel provided to employees that is branded with company logos, and especially uniforms, cannot be donated due to potential security issues. Persons wearing the clothing could potentially impersonate employees and cause harm or damage if they were so inclined. For this reason, the logos have to be removed from these items. SWAG items are processed by removing any heat-transfer logos and embroidered patches. Since removing the logos may leave tiny holes, discolored areas, or even a latent image of the previous logo, we cover the area either with an embroidered patch or a heat-transfer logo for the ministry. All items are distributed with a care tag that includes a prayer and a statement of encouragement to let people know that they are cared for and loved.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $195