The three-times-a-year textile drives also support church ministries.
A primary goal of our commitment as Episcopalians to the care of creation is keeping items we no longer have use for out of landfills. For clothing and other “soft goods” we have options. Some of our churches host free clothing closets where we can drop off that pair of pants that never quite fit right or the snowsuit a child has outgrown, while gently used sheets and towels might go to St. Elizabeth’s or Bridging the Gap’s essentials pantries.
At St. David’s in Kennebunk, parishioners have taken the recycling of textiles to another level by partnering with EcoSmith Recyclers, Inc., a family-owned business in New Boston, NH. EcoSmith pays the church for textiles it compresses into 1,000-pound bales and sends by container ships its main port in Chile. When materials reach their destination, they are received, sorted and graded by small businesses, which, like EcoSmith, are mostly made up of family members. If an item can’t be reused or repaired, its composite materials are identified and recycled in a couple of different ways. Some can be “treated to break down individual fibers and reconstituted into new thread to be made into fabric bolts,” according to EcoSmith. Others are milled to make soundproofing and insulation, and the soles of shoes and boots are ground into small pieces and used for playground fill.
St. David’s textile drives—held in March, July, and November and coordinated by Janet Oliver and Jane Smoot—are in their third year. On March 21, some 350 vehicles lined up to drop off 27 tons of textiles and footwear, which were organized and packed by volunteers, including parishioners and local high school students. Of the funds received, $500 went to Camp Bishopswood to help immigrant children living in Maine to attend camp this summer—in response to Bishop Brown’s recent appeal.
“June and I each came to this point in our lives at different times,” says Oliver. “Listening to my daughter lament the waste she encounters every day working in fashion design opened my eyes to where we are going, and how much we have squandered. It brings back memories of all the clothes my Mother made for her three daughters—things that lasted, going from oldest to youngest sometimes.”
What the two women share is their commitment to reducing textile/shoe waste in our landfills and oceans. “As an Episcopalian, I try to live by God’s call to be a steward of our island home and all its creatures,” says Smoot. Our textile drives are an expression of active stewardship for me and all our volunteers.”
She and Oliver welcome inquiries from other churches who may be interested in starting their own textile drives. Please reach out to June Smoot or to Janet Oliver.
St. David’s next textile drive is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the back parking lot of Quest Fitness, 2 Livewell Dr. in Kennebunk. Download a flyer here.