In celebration of earth month, Planet Aid is hosting the National Clothing Drive from April 11 to May 11. The Earth Month initiative is a competition among registered schools with Planet Aid bins. The school that collects the most pounds of clothing and shoes will win the $1,000 grand prize. Since one of Planet's Aid's goals is to protect the environment, diverting textiles from bins and providing a means for textile items to be reused helps the environment and provides funds for health, education, and skills development projects abroad.
There is also a $200 prize for bin beautification, which means the school that best enhances and beautifies the area around their Planet Aid bin (e.g., with plants, flowers, planting a tree, etc.) will win. The aim is to bring students and the community out into nature and instill pride in their recycling program. Once the bin is beautified, the site will be even more appealing for clothing drop-offs.
Planet Aid bin at Wilde Lake Middle School in Columbia Maryland.
Planet Aid's Natalie Glanell is one of the organizers for the event which is one of the first initiatives of Planet Aid's new School and Community Programs department. She hopes that programs like the National Clothing Drive will inspire leadership. She explains, "We're really putting a lot of work into creating programs that allow students to become aware, engaged, and educated in leadership and the environment."
Winners of the National Clothing Drive s will be announced in a Zoom Meeting with participating schools around the country. There will be additional prizes announced at that time as well. Registration is still open so schools who want to participate in the clothing drive can email education@planetaid.org.