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CHELMSFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Some local teens are working to help their community and the environment... all while cleaning out their closets.
The Wings Initiative is a student-run sustainable organization that works to fight fast fashion using social media. The club has 15 branches around the world with several in Massachusetts where it was originally founded.
"It's like a big thing in our generation [is] overconsumption," said Avelinn Loughran, president of the Chelmsford High chapter of Wings Initiative. "So they have a lot of extra clothes that either go out of style or they just grow out of."
The organization encourages young people to go through their closets and donate clothes they no longer wear. People who want to donate can message a local chapter through Instagram to schedule a pickup or find a place nearby to drop off their donations. The collected clothes are then donated to people in need.
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Through using social media, the Wings Initiative has had great success. Over 23 thousand clothing items have been donated across all chapters so far, the Wings Initiative said on their website.
"With our posts, we say how people are in need and like we post pictures of the people with their donations on our Instagram which makes others more inclined to donate," Tanya Banerjee, a Chelmsford chapter board member said.
The Wings Initiative's first chapter was created by Charlie Benjamin, a student at Phillips Academy in Andover in 2021.
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