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Newark USA

A fotojournal about LIVING in Newark USA, New Jersey's largest and most cultured city, by the author of the foto-essay website RESURGENCE CITY: Newark USA.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Legit Clothing Collection(?)

I have pointed out here two illegitimate types of clothing collection bins in our area, for Planet Aid and U'SAgain. This week I saw what appears to be a legitimate charitable and recycling program, in the parking lot of the Newark Home Depot (Springfield Avenue and Bergen Street).

I tried to find an online discussion of the "Home Depot Head Start Project" noted on the bins but couldn't. Still, since these three bins are in the parking lot of the Home Depot, I must assume that they are authorized by the Home Depot, which is happy to have its name associated with them.
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My own attempts to find online information about the operator of these bins, the READ Foundation (Recyclers Educating Against Drugs), produced minimally helpful results. I did find a
website for that organization, which contains these passages:
Fundraising through Recycling
A Charity Helping Charities * * *

READ'S recycling, fundraising program provides used or unwanted clothing to third world countries. The financially disadvantaged are able to acquire used clothing at a fraction of its original cost, thereby providing wearing apparel to those who cannot afford to buy new.

An additional percentage of the clothing collected is donated to worthy causes. The balance is truly recycled by being reduced to cutting cloth and fillers, thereby completing the recycling-cycle.

The full name of the organization speaks to educating about drugs, yet I see nothing on the website about drug education. This makes me a little leery. I did not find any negative Internet mentions of this entity, however, and I did find that an Easter Seals organization confirms an affiliation with READ. And the Home Depot, a major corporation, has consented to help in its work. Why am I still wary?
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If I decide in a few days that I am OK with giving to this "Charity Helping Charities", I will drop off the two bags of clothing I gathered for the
Cystic Fibrosis clothing drive but which they did not pick up. If, however, anyone who sees this has adverse information about the READ Foundation, please let me know, not just for my own, but also for my readers' information.

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