Do you know what weighs 8,000 pounds? A hippopotamus, yes.
However, this is also the weight in clothing that South Canton Scholars Charter Academy (SCS) families and community members donated last school year using the Planet Aid yellow bin. They collected 8,140 pounds of clothing, which ranked them fourth amongst all participating schools for the 2018-19 academic year.
“SCS works hard to show our students empathy, compassion, and gratitude,” said Megan Mitchell, academic math specialist at South Canton Scholars Charter Academy. “Some of the ways we are able to model these qualities are with various drives to bring awareness to the obstacles others might be going through.”
Planet Aid is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used clothing and shoes to protect the environment and support development projects in impoverished communities around the world. Planet Aid is the nation’s largest clothing and shoe donation bin provider with over 19,000 donation bins in 19 states and Washington, DC.
Planet Aid donates most of the clothes to places in the United States and worldwide. However, now they specifically take out winter coats that are donated and have teamed up with a local charity, Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, to give winter coats to families in the Detroit area. Over 1,000 coats were donated from across Michigan and northern Ohio to give to families in need.
The majority of the clothing donated goes to people in other countries that do not have as much as the students at SCS, so staff discusses how it benefits those receiving the clothing and how it helps the planet by not going to a landfill.
“SCS works hard to maintain an 'evergreen' status as a Michigan Green school,” said Mitchell. “We participate in at least 20 activities throughout the year to keep this distinction and raise awareness with our students about how they can help the environment.”
SCS is on track to be the number one donating school in the state of Michigan for the 2019-20 school year, as their community donated on average over 1,600 pounds of clothing per month in the five months they had the bin.
If you are interested in donating or recycling your clothes with Planet Aid, but there is no bin in your area yet, you can ship your items to your nearest Planet Aid location. You can also click here to request a bin in your area!