Most Popular Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did the name St. Pauly come from?
- St. Pauly was the nickname of one of the founders of the company, Paul Callerame. He did a lot of charity work in the City of Rochester and that was the name that everyone called him.
Are you a for-profit company?
- Yes we are. We were formed as a company in 1996 to help small non-profit organizations to raise money for their particular needs with the use of collecting clothing, much like cookie companies help Girl Scouts raise money for their programs or popcorn companies help Boy Scout and schools raise money.
Where do all the clothes go?
- The clothing is bundled in our warehouse and shipped to organizations here in the United States and Developing World Countries. The specific locations are changing constantly depending upon what is happening in the world at any one time. Presently we know that the clothing has been sent to 44 different countries around the world, as well as here in the United States.
Will there be a mess if I host a drop-off?
- Emphatically, no. Our model is set up so that people come to the drop-off to donate to a safe and clean facility. Your organization has someone “touch” the shed once a day. In other words, someone is taking 10-15 minutes a day to stack donations on the other end of the shed for storage. This keeps things looking great and takes away the idea that someone donating must leave bags of clothing outside the shed because there is not enough room at the chute. In addition, our signs are clearly marked with what is appropriate to donate.
Where does the funding come from?
- The funding comes from the organizations that we work with, such as foreign governments, relief organizations, the U.N., private companies as well as the U.S. Government. It is cheaper for them to contract with our group than to go on the open market and purchase clothing when they need it. Basically, they get a bigger bang for their dollar when they work with us. We then share the compensation with the organizations that we work with. Last year (2008) over 300 organizations we worked with received in excess of $500,000 from St. Pauly. In the last 5 years it has exceeded over $2,000,000.
How is my organization compensated?
- The organizations we ship to compensate us pennies on the pound for the used clothing. It is cheaper and more efficient for them to come to a supplier like us for their needs. In the same manner, it is cheaper and more efficient for us to work with non-profit groups to collect the clothing than to go door to door for donations. We share with those non-profit groups by compensating them at a rate of $40 per thousand pounds of clothing. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Is the clothing shredded or cut up?
- Absolutely not. All of the clothing collected is shipped whole-garment and will be worn by someone, somewhere.
When do you pick up the clothing from the sheds?
- We have regular pickup routes to bring the bags of clothing back to our warehouse. Most sheds are emptied once a week but some are getting emptied twice a week or more. If a drop-off fills up more quickly, great! We will usually be there within a day or two.
Do we have a contract with those hosting shed's?
- We do not ask for any contracts to be signed. The only thing that we ask is that the shed can be in place for at least one year. This will give you a fair look at how this has helped so many organizations such as yours (presently we have never had anyone ask us to remove our shed from their location).
Is there insurance on the drop-off?
- We have $6,000,000 of liability insurance on the drop-offs. This is for your protection and for ours. Proof of this insurance can be made readily available if your group needs it.
