Okay, so the screen printing shop I work at often donates misprints and stuff that we can't sell (but is still wearable and looks decent) to charities working with third world countries and such. I have a bunch of old stock that I'd like to donate, but here's the problem...
If you're familiar with my designs, you'll know that a lot of my work (especially this old stock) is very food-centric. So, it would probably be cruel to send a bunch of shirts to starving kids in another country that have a dinosaur on the front saying MAKE ME A SANDWICH or a picture of a cake that says "I LIKE TO EAT CAKE AND SMOKE CIGARETTES". I might as well send them a shirt that says HAHAH YOU'RE STARVING.
So, am I thinking into this too much? I just don't want to try and do something good with these old shirts but just have it end up being futile and in poor taste. Any suggestions?
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I could see myself doing that with some of these, but on a couple of designs the difference between what the design used to look like (on this old stock) and what it looks like now (with my current series of prints) is pretty tremendous and makes the old stuff look like garbage. I've become a much better printed and a slightly more ambitious designer in the past year or so...so some of them I'd absolutely refuse to sell. some of them, though I'd be fine with people wearing.
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Jasonda is probably right. Failing that, I'm sure there is somewhere local you could donate them - a habitat for humanity storefront, Salvation Army, etc.
David, would you rather be naked and hungry or just hungry? Think about it!
That's an interesting way of looking at it. Sort of breaks it down to its very last compound. Nicely put
I was reading David's dilemma and I wasn't sure if there was a good solution, but if your intention is to help, the design on the shirt shouldn't matter too much.
At the same time, I can see how it has the possibility of coming back to slightly bite you. Like if one of the aid workers got bent out of shape because of the design and it got media attention. Not sure if that would pan out to be good or bad. I'm thinking with your true intentions it would be good no matter what.
I donated a bunch of leftover tournament t's to a local elemtary school. Schools can use them for when the little kids spill milk or food on their shirt.
If they're little kids shirts, maybe you could donate them to your local daycare centre?
The centre my kids attend has "centre clothes" (that I assume were donated or bought second hand) - my kids are sometimes sent home in "centre clothes" if they've had a particularly messy day and I didn't send enough spare outfits. They're used as just that - backup/emergency clothing for when parents haven't sent enough clothing or what they have sent isn't appropriate (for example - if there's a sudden cool change in the middle of the day, and all I sent was shorts and t-shirt).
I think your concerns are really valid, and TBH, I probably wouldn't donate them there - not because I don't think those kids need them (they really do), but I think your concerns are genuine. I've started sponser a child program at my work through World Vision, and of course we get sent photos of them. One year the photo we got sent of our child, he was wearing a "brand" t-shirt (I can't remember what it was - GAP or Fred Bare or something along those lines) and everyone at my work went ape over how he was wearing "designer" clothing! Obviously, this was just donated clothing that someone was kind enough to send, and here they are ribbing this poor kid for wearing what are probably some of the only clothes he owns. I can't imagine what the reaction would have been like if it had had the kind of slogans you are talking about on it (not that I am saying they are bad - they're quite funny - just not in that context, iykwim).
Um yeah...don't know if that helps any. But good on you for having a social conscience!
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a tricky issue with donating old shirts... 
Obviously, this was just donated clothing that someone was kind enough to send, and here they are ribbing this poor kid for wearing what are probably some of the only clothes he owns. I can't imagine what the reaction would have been like if it had had the kind of slogans you are talking about on it (not that I am saying they are bad - they're quite funny - just not in that context, iykwim).
