"It makes me feel really great:" Kids collecting clothes for those in need, and you can help!



GLENDALE (WITI) -- A box filled with clothes at Glen Hills Middle School is gaining attention among students and the community.

"It makes me feel really great because just bringing in bags of my old clothes, like, not thinking -- I'm just bringing in clothes and it's helping other people. It makes me feel really good," said eighth-grader Cooper Scheldroup.

The company Better Earth Textile Recycling, which focuses on going green and reducing landfill waste, put out a challenge to area schools.

"We thought using the 45th anniversary of Earth Day would be a good way to further educate students about the meaning of being green and sustainable," said Better Earth Textile Recycling President Tim Engel.

The Earth Day Challenge asks students and the community to drop off used clothes instead of just throwing them away.

The challenge runs through the entire month of April.

"Today the EPA estimates that between 21 and 24 billion pounds of clothing go into our landfills each year, which is approximately 85% of all used clothing," said Engel.

The Glendale-River Hills School District, the New Berlin School District and the Holy Family Parish School all jumped on board. The school with the most amount of clothes collected will win a trophy and a $250 gift card, but this act of kindness makes everyone a winner.

"Most of the usable clothing will be exported to developing countries around the world for people in need, for people who generally make a few hundred dollars a year," said Engel.

You can help the cause by donating clothes to any of the participating schools by Friday, May 1st.

Officials estimate about six tons of clothing will be collected between the nine schools during the four week challenge.

Here are the addresses for the participating schools where you can drop-off used clothing: