Change your clothes. Change someone’s life.

Waking up this morning to temperature in the 50s was an in-your-face reminder that this week officially closes out our glorious summer season. Out comes the fall wardrobe and a realization that some of the clothes relegated to the back of the closet aren’t going to work this year. Some no longer fit; others were never quite the right purchase in the first place. Others are too worn out to see the light of day.

Did you know that Americans throw 85 percent of their clothes and other unwanted textiles in the trash each year? Most of us think that charities want only those items that can be resold in their thrift shops. While these are the most valuable donations, other castoffs can still make millions for charities on the secondary market

As part of CBD’s Meaningful Month, we are encouraging employees and friends to find better ways to dispose of used items than tossing them in the trash, which is why CBD is collecting on behalf of an organization called Bottomless Closet (http://bottomlesscloset.org/).

This particular non-profit organization supports women in their quest to enter the workforce by supplying clothing suitable for interviews and an office environment. They offer free image coaching in an effort to give women the confidence in their appearance that is so important when searching for a job.

The founding mission of Bottomless Closet is “to elevate the employment potential and marketability of women welfare recipients who want to work. It will provide clothing, at no charge, to women on assistance who don’t have suitable clothing to wear to a job interview.”

So, if you have professional, good quality women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, hose or handbags, you can take them to Bottomless Closet in downtown Chicago the second Saturday of each month (except January and September). Or, drop them by CBD’s office any time this month—we’ll handle the delivery.

But what if you’re a guy? Or what if your clothing isn’t suitable for professional office wear? There are multiple other ways to donate your used clothing items.

Resale shops are a good option for clothing that is “gently used.” The Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries are two of places that accept any type of clothing. What they can resell, they will. The rest goes to the secondary market which includes selling used clothes in developing countries and recycling them for industrial uses. That means repurposing textiles for wiping rags or even adding to things like asphalt.

Don’t worry about ripped shirts, clothes without zippers, stained linens or ragged socks… textile recycling is a $1 billion business, which means significant revenue to places like the Salvation Army.

So, de-clutter your closets and get organized for fall (and winter)! There are plenty of charitable organizations that will make wonderful use of all of the good, bad and truly ugly items that don’t work for you anymore.