Things You'll Need:
- Sweaters
- Jackets
- Coats
- Gloves
- Boots
- Boxes
- Plastic garbage bags
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Step 1
Check with your local Red Cross chapter about a volunteer position. Go to the Red Cross website for a list of locations. Talk with the volunteer coordinator about how to organize a winter clothing drive. The length and scope of the campaign will depend on the needs of the poor and homeless in your areas as well as the duration and severity of winter weather.
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Step 2
Contact schools and businesses in your area about donating clothes. Make flyers listing the types of clothing needed like coats, jackets sweaters, scarves, mittens and hats, and provide boxes or plastic garbage bags for donated items. Check with the person in charge of charity functions and arrange a time and place for folks to drop off their donations.
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Step 3
Consider the starting day for the drive. Don't organize it too far ahead of time. Most people don't start thinking about winter clothing until after Halloween. Think about the time you'll need to sort through and distribute the clothes to the needy, and base the start and end times--and the length of your clothing drive--on those factors.
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Step 4
Place ads in local papers or on the volunteer section of websites like Craigslist. Announce the winter clothing drive on your local Red Cross website or in the chapter newsletter. Regardless of how you advertise the clothing drive, homeless and needy people in the area will receive the coats, boots, gloves and other winter items they so desperately need.
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Step 5
Arrange a list that contributors can use to figure the tax deductions for their items. This will provide incentives for people who feel they're too busy to pull last year's sweaters or coats out of the closet.
