Give to the Ones Who Give Back: Human-I-T
Looking for a great cause to donate to? Consider giving to Human-I-T, a SoCal nonprofit striving to eliminate e-waste and redistribute the technology they refurbish into lower-income communities.
Human-I-T’s impact is twofold: they provide a way for companies and individuals to safely discard their unwanted and broken technology, while also shrinking the digital divide by fixing these donations and giving them to people who don’t have the technology they need.
But to continue to provide these crucial services, Human-I-T needs your support. As a company committed to giving back to their community, it’s important that we do the same for them.
So what is e-waste exactly?
E-waste is any electronic that is unwanted and inoperative for a regular consumer or a big business, and has reached what is called its “end of life.” Human-I-T capitalizes on the fact that this “end of life” concept is highly subjective: “Some people just need to keep up with the latest and greatest,” says Human-I-T co-founder and CEO, Gabe Middleton. “So end of life for a certain user can just mean last year’s version.” That’s where Human-I-T comes in to take this technology and give it to someone else who really needs it.
E-waste is also much more toxic than regular trash. While it currently only makes up 2% of the world’s actual trash, it’s 70% of our toxic waste. Meaning services like Human-I-T that provide environmentally safe and responsible disposal of such dangerous material are invaluable, especially as our dependency on and production of technology continues to increase. Donations to human-I-T help create the jobs that keep e-waste out of landfills.
If you’ve ever upgraded your iPhone, splurged on a newer computer model, or even just had a broken old TV collecting dust in your garage, you know the frustration of not really knowing what to do with your unwanted gadgets.
But what if there was a company that was the Goodwill of old technology? Who would actually come to your house to pick up your donation?
This isn’t a what if scenario. This is Human-I-T.
Human-I-T hosts distriution events within underserved communities, where their staff gives away the technology they’ve worked so hard to give a second life. They also set up the recipients with low-cost wireless internet access within their homes, and even offer computer literacy courses for added digital guidance.
Middleton says these distribution events are the most rewarding part of their whole process. He says it’s when they see firsthand the impact of their work, when they’re “actually able to connect the technology to those who are being left behind on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
“At an event, what you really see, is the community coming together.”
Human-I-T sees technology as a necessity to succeed. “Whether that be you’re trying to find a job,” says Middleton, “you need to do some research to see what jobs are available in your area. You need to write a resume. You want to apply for college, you want to communicate with your healthcare provider. Anything that is done today, is most likely done online because that’s where the information is.”
But what about those who don’t have a computer? Or internet? Your donation to human-I-T can fix just that.
A little bit goes a long way. Here’s how your contributions to Human-I-T can make a difference:
$25 provides an internet connection for a qualified, low-income family.
$50 equips a household with a refurbished computer.
$100 connects a family with a new mobile hotspot so they can access the internet from anywhere.
$500 connects ten households with mobile hotspots.
Your monetary donations keep Human-I-T’s digital inclusion programs alive. Donate now so they can continue to solve one of the most pressing problems of the digital era and to serve our society.
