Church sets up shed to collect clothing

MIDDLETOWN >> Faith Lutheran Church has teamed up with St. Pauly Textile Inc., a used clothing collection company that was founded 20 years ago in Rochester, NY, and is an A+ rated member of the Better Business Bureau.

The company works with nonprofit organizations to set up used clothing drop off sheds designed to give community members a clean, attractive and well-monitored place to donate gently used textile items, which are then distributed here in the U.S. and worldwide to people who need them.

Accepted items include clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, drapes, linens, pillowcases and stuffed animals.

Donors are asked to donate items in a plastic bag to protect against dirt and the elements.

There is a small box on the shed that contains receipts to help donors take a tax deduction.

Faith Lutheran Church, 300 Washington St., Middletown, receives funding for clothing collected and has the option to use any of this clothing to serve community needs.

St. Pauly Textile Inc. collects more than 80,000 pounds of clothing every day and estimates that this clothing ends up in 44 different countries (including the United States) yearly. In 2015, the company was able to help keep more than 15 million articles of clothing out of landfills.