Just as quickly as Christmas comes and goes, we find ourselves looking at a mass of new toys and clothes that need to be put away in drawers and closets which are already overflowing.
Here is a list of places that you can donate your unwanted items to help you clear out the clutter while helping someone in need.
Key organizations that accept donations:
Salvation Army: Accepts most any sort of household, clothing, toys or electronics donation. They have one of the highest ratios of received funds that go directly to help those in need, rather than organization administration costs.
AMVETS : Accepts toys/games, clothing, electronics, bedding, kitchen, bath and most other household goods to sell in their stores and suppor their mission to assist American Veterans (They will also pick up from your house).
Goodwill:
There are multiple drop-off locations nationwide. They take almost any sort of household or clothing donation. Electronics should be in working order.
Local Women’s Shelters: Women’s shelter’s can used almost any kind of donation since many times women who go to the shelters do not have the opportunity to leave with many personal posessions. Call your local churches, YWCA, and police stations for their help in finding out how and where to donate items to a women’s shelter near you. More info on how to donate to a women’s shelter
Homeless Shelters: Items accepted vary by shelter but common items are childrens toys, clothing (not only everyday clothes, but business apparell they could use for job interviews.) Click here for more links on how to donate to Homeless Shelters.
Animal Shelters: They can always use new sheets, towels, pet toys/beds, etc to help keep the homeless animals comfy and happy during their stay. More info on donating to animal shelters…
What to do with Old…
Electronics:
Many cities have their own recycling programs held once a year. Items with enough value may be worth listing on eBay or craigslist.org. Items that work but may not be worth the time investment to sell online can be donated to Goodwill or Salvation Army.
Furniture:
Most of the organizations listed can provide pickup for large objects. Also consider listing it on craiglist.org for free or to make some extra cash. Unless its extremely valuable antique selling furniture online may not be worth the time
Clothing
Most all organizations list take clothing (except for the animal shelters 😉 The Special Olympics has several bins in different parking lots that you can drop clothes off to anytime. Consignment shops are also a way to get cash out of nicer or brandname items. Some stores such as Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet buy used children’s and teens clothing outright.
Toys
The holidays always yield lots of toy drives, but if you don’t want to hold onto them for another 10 months then consider consignment stores or second hand childrens shops that buy toys. You can always sell them on craiglist and most all organization take toys as part of their donations
Books
Almost all organizations listed take books. You can also list book on half.com or eBay. Also try http://www.paperbackswap.com/
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