Why 2 Shirts?
Part I
When I am in a prayer group or a meeting I’m often asked “tell us about 2 Shirts.” It is a subject that I love talking about. I love explaining to people “why 2 Shirts” instead of Goodwill and thrift stores.
Let’s talk about some sad and shocking facts that should touch the heart and call us all to action.
“on a single night in 2023, roughly 653,100 people in the U.S. experienced homelessness…”
“The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress.” Department of Housing and Urban Development
That’s 70,000 (or 12%) more people than the year before and to make it more meaningful, it also represents the highest level recorded since data collection began. In our state of North Carolina, there were 9,754 people experiencing homelessness, a 4% increase overall and also increases in homelessness among veterans and unaccompanied children. The are many in Lincolnton and Lincoln County who are struggling as well.
Nationwide, there are nearly 400,000 children in the foster care system. In North Carolina there are 10,700 children in the system and only 5,600 homes licenses to care for them. Even a quick search on Google will produce news headlines telling us that emergency foster care placements are overwhelming the system and forcing children to stay in county offices, jails, and hotels until a home is ready.
When a child leaves their home with a social worker, they are lucky to grab a few belongings and stuff them in a trash bag to bring with them. These children are still expected to be in school the next day and carry on all of their other responsibilities. Can you imagine the feelings that well up in the hearts of the young ones who have nothing, start a new school, and sleep on an air mattress of the floor of a meeting room in a public office building? It is slightly better than sleeping in the woods in a hut made of tarps, hoping no one will steal your belonging or cause you harm.
When it comes to natural disasters, it is difficult to find comprehensive statistics that aren’t related to recovery costs, the impact on insurance companies, or biased for or against climate change. From what we can find, nearly 3,000,000 (that’s 3 MILLION) Americans are affected or displaced from their homes as a result of natural disasters. Two headlines that stuck out…
Whether it’s flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, our fellow Americans suffer not only the loss of their homes, but the physical and emotional security of being able to tend to their basic needs. Food, clothing, and shelter form the base of our pyramid of needs hierarchy. Without the most basic things, the rest of our needs seem meaningless and lead us to dejection and a feeling of separation.
So, what do the unsheltered, foster children, disaster survivors all have in common? They are all displaced. They are usually not seen outside of the people involved in their situation, and other than a quick headline or brief news story, they are not remembered by society at large.
Perhaps the greatest commonality among these groups is the safety and security that comes from being cared for. Knowing there is a safe place to live and sleep in, knowing that comforting, hot meal is available a few times a day, having personal belongings, and knowing that they are cared about and remembered. The need of love and compassion in an extremely difficult season.
Those are the people numbers. Let’s take a look at just one of their needs…clothing.
In the United States, according to the EPA, in 2018 alone we generated a staggering 17 million tons of textile waste. Over 85% of the clothing that is discarded ends up in landfills or incinerators. One source claims that a trash truck of clothing ends up in a landfill every second. (To be fair, it’s hard to tell if that’s an American number or a global number, but, either way it’s shocking if true.)
We’ll discuss what happens to donated clothing in Part II. But reflect upon this thought…We get rid of 17 million pounds of clothing EVERY YEAR. There are at least 4 MILLION Americans in immediate need of clothing throughout the year. This doesn’t even take into account those who just cannot afford new or needed clothing.
So, why 2 Shirts? We are called to be good stewards. We are called to love one another. We are told that those with two shirts should share with the one who has none. That’s why 2 Shirts.
Are your donations directly helping people? Read Part II.