The sense of pride in our armed forces is a uniting value of the United States that is demonstrated in the way our military men and women are honored during and after their service. Many members of the public, though, do not realize that veterans often need support once they return from active duty and that the public can play a significant role in assisting them in transitioning to ordinary life.

As of 2015, there were an estimated 21,681,000 veterans in the United States, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. Many of these are in need of some kind of care as a result of injuries or other wounds suffered as a result of their service. Wounded veterans charities work to provide these veterans with programs in health, education and other areas to help them in their post-service lives. Wounded veterans charities raise millions to support these programs annually and depend on the donations of members of the public to keep them going.

For many of these wounded veterans charities one of the principle means of raising fund is through selling used clothing and other donated goods obtained from the public. We are lucky as a nation, enjoying increasing prosperity in comparison to the generations that went before. Recent studies have shown, for example, that we buy more than twice as much clothing as those 20 years ago. When the closet needs refreshing, then, we should be thinking about how we can use our unwanted clothes to support charity foundations. Clothes donations can make all the difference.

While we do donate, giving away or recycling as much as 15% of our clothing, there is still a great deal of wasted used clothing that ends up in landfills every year, as much as 10.5 million tons of it, in fact. Every one of us throws away more than 70 pounds of textiles, including clothing, every single year. Most people tend to give more during the holidays, with more than 43% indicating that they do this. Charitable needs, however, are year-round.

Many charity organizations are now trying to make it easier for those wanting to donate and have arranged services like the Purple Heart charity pick up, which collects donations for the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) directly from donors? homes. By simplifying the donation process, these charities for wounded soldiers are trying to encourage those who have always wanted to donate but have always thought it too much hassle to now do so. Make something of your used clothing by considering a wounded veterans charity today.