You donated your clothes, now what?

Thursday, November 30, 2017
You donated your clothes, now what?

DURHAM (WTVD) -- So, you've cleaned out your closet and made your donation of clothes... now what?

For the Durham Rescue Mission, after collection, it's off to the sorting center. Inside the massive warehouse, it's a maze of carefully organized items. From clothing, to linens, to home goods, nothing is out of place. "This is a training facility," explained manager Gregory Turner.

An oversized conveyor belt in the back of the facility draws the eye. Around it, workers sort men's, women's, and children's clothing. Clothes that can't be sold in store, or given to clients of the Mission, are tossed to a middle conveyor belt.

Nothing goes to waste at the warehouse. Clothing tossed to the middle conveyor belt - clothes with holes or stains, or clothes that simply didn't sell in the store - are baled into a 900-pound square. Once the Mission has 43,000 pounds worth of the unwanted clothes, they'll ship it overseas to third-world countries. "They don't care if there is a hole it in," said Turner of the bale recipients. "What we value in this country is different than what other people value."

Donating to the Mission also means job training for clients of the Durham Rescue Mission. "A lot of people are hurting. They're homeless. They gave up on hope. That piece of clothing somebody donated is getting someone hope," Turner stated.

Donating is also good for your taxes. You have until December 31 to make a tax deductible donation.

Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.