The shirt off his back…rethinking your clothing donations

Zach Frisch in his outfit which he will shed in Kenya

This week I was lucky enough to attend the Face to Face event in New York city hosted by British Airways. I met some pretty amazing global entrepreneurs but today I want to spotlight on one who is especially inspiring in an altruistic way.

Zach Frisch whose company Raindrop Partners invests in eco friendly companies is going to be traveling on business to Kenya and Ruwanda through theBA face to face program asked me for a 5 minute makeover but then explained why there were holes in his sweater. This trip will start in Colorado and take him to New York, then London, and on to Kenya and Rwanda.  He  has devised an interesting plan for packing for a trip. He’s bringing a bunch of clothing to donate during his trip to Africa. While there he will give away most all of his clothes as the trip goes on. Literally taking the shirt off his back to give to his driver or whoever he comes in contact with. He explained that much of the clothes he doesn’t wear, doesn’t fit, has a stain or a small hole. He’s looking forward to coming home empty handed. But I imagine he will feel lighter but also richer in his heart. I was also thinking it frees up space in his suitcase for treasures he may find along the way. This concept is refreshing and can be adopted by any of us. Next time you are traveling to a country in need why not plan to give away your clothing donations you earmarked for housing works. I know I practiced this with books last summer in Greece and passed them on to whoever crossed my path and found it to be quiet satisfying. Who knows you might connect with a person in a new way and know that your item will have a 2^nd life.