Newton Rotary To Host Monthly Clothing Collection Drives

NEWTON, MA — The Rotary Club of Newton, once again working with HELPSY, the largest clothing collection company on the east coast, will be hosting a series of pop-the-trunk monthly clothing drives starting April 30.

In addition to clothing, volunteers will be collecting clean, new, or like-new small appliances for Welcome Home, a not for profit providing families experiencing hardship with the basic household items they need to live with dignity.

The collection drives will be held from 8 a.m. to noon in the circular driveway of the Scandinavian Living Center, located at 206 Waltham Street. Funds raised by the clothing drive will go toward the Newton Rotary Foundation.

Subsequent drives are planned for May 21, June 25, July 23, August 13, and September 17.

“Don’t throw away outgrown, outdated, worn, torn or stained clothing or gently used small appliances. Bring them to us and get them out of the waste stream—and support a great cause,” Susan Faccenda-Peghiny, President of the Rotary Club of Newton, said in a statement.

Last year, Newton Rotary collected nearly 25,000 pounds of unwanted clothing and diverted these items from becoming trash. Organizers are hoping to surpass this amount in 2022.

Textile waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. The EPA
estimates that more than 100 pounds of clothing gets thrown away by the average person
every year, double what it was 20 years ago. Of that amount, 95 percent can be reused or
recycled.

HELPSY partners with municipalities and organizations across ten states to collect
unwanted clothing and other textiles. Through a combination of clothing drives, home pick-
ups, thrift store partners and clothing receptacles, HELPSY diverts nearly 30 million pounds of
textiles from landfills every year.

For more information about the upcoming clothing drive or Newton Rotary, click here.