Summary of Project: 

     The Gear4Good program of The Mountain Fund began through inspiration of Osprey Packs and the “Pass on the Passion” program, which started in 2007. 

     In the U.S., there are dozens of outdoor programs for at-risk youth, which can use packs, sleeping bags, boots and outerwear. In addition, trekking and porter support programs in Nepal, Peru and Tanzania always need good sturdy gear. Search-and-rescue teams in developing countries need the same.

     Turn your out-of-date apparel into something good. Send us that green and pink Gore-Tex jacket you wore in the ’80s, along with last year’s climbing boots.

     We will find second homes for your used gear, and if we can’t, we’ll list it on our e-Bay charity auction site and turn it into cash to support all of our programs.

Total Funding Goal:

$3,000 USD

To cover annual shipping costs of gear to recipients

How You Can Help:

Please send your "gently"-used outdoor clothing and equipment to our main office, and we'll put it to reuse:

•  $30 ships one box of gear within the U.S. to an outdoor program
  
•  $60 ships two boxes of gear within the U.S. to an outdoor program
  
•  $120 ships one box of gear to Nepal for programs in Nepal
  

More Information About This Project:

Why Reuse Makes Sense... It's a simple solution.
(Adapted from "Choose to Reuse", by Nikki & David Goldbeck)

     Reuse is often confused with recycling, but they are really quite different. Reuse, in the broadest sense, means any activity that lengthens the life of an item. Recycling, on the other hand, is the reprocessing of an item into a new raw material for use in a new product — for example grinding the tire and incorporating it into a road-surfacing compound. Reuse is nothing new. What is new is the need to reuse.

     Why is reuse so important? Because at the same time that it confronts the challenges of waste reduction, reuse also sustains a comfortable quality of life and supports a productive economy. With few exceptions reuse accomplishes these goals more effectively than recycling. Unique to reuse is that it also brings resources to individuals and organizations that might otherwise be unable to acquire them.

Programs in Need of Gear:

     Gear4Good is located at our main office in Sandia Park, New Mexico, USA. We receive gear from donors worldwide, on a daily basis. We also receive requests for gear on a weekly basis. Our volunteers then ship the gear each week to the programs in need.

Below is a list of the programs currently requesting gear:

• The ClimbHigh Foundation needs warm synthetic sleeping bags for women working in the trekking and climbing industry in Uganda.

• CityWild , a youth at-risk program in Denver, needs tents.

• Outdoor Outreach , a youth at-risk program in San Diego, needs full-sized backpacks.

• The Mountain Porter Support Program in Kathmandu needs shoes (men's 7-8) and hiking/rain pants (men's small) for porters in Nepal.

• Pakistan Women’s Climbing Camp needs ropes, stoves, tents, climbing hardware.

• Empowering Women of Nepal needs ropes, climbing shoes and women's outdoor clothing.

• Wildlife Conservation Society need packs, tents, boots and warm clothing to outfit park rangers for Afghan Staff involved in Wakhan-Pamir Project. This project aims to build a four-nation ( Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, China) Transboundary Peace Park, centered on the Pamirs, to protect the wildlife and to provide alternative economic options (tourism, etc.) to the local peoples.

• Roots and Wings Community School: expeditionary learning middle school (spending 30 days in the backcountry each year) in rural Taos County, New Mexico. 60% of students are considered low income. The school is doubling in size in fall 2008 and needs backpacks, boots, tents, and outdoor clothing.

• CityKids Wilderness Project: outdoor education program serving financially challenged inner-city youths, aged 12-18, from metropolitan Washington, D.C. Programs take place in rural Maryland and summer camp in Jackson, Wyoming.

• Four Corners School of Outdoor Education and the Canyon Country Youth Corps serving primarily Navajo youth ages in 16-23 and based in Monticello, Utah, needs backpacks, day packs, water bottles, tents, and rainwear.

Project Sponsors:

     The Mountain Fund would like to offer special thanks to Osprey Packs and Charles River Apparel, for their ongoing support of this project.