Having just come through the holiday season and added new clothing, toys, electronics and more to our personal inventory, it’s now time to think about cleaning out the closets! Will you ever wear all of those golf shirts that take up space in the closet? Do you need to hold on to that old printer or laptop you’re storing in the garage? What about the clothing and books your children have outgrown?
In these times of abundance for many of us, we could free up some storage and closet space by giving the excess away, and you could help struggling individuals and families in our community in the process, talk about a win-win!
Many charities have thrift stores who rely on the revenue from re-selling household items and furniture to continue their mission. It is a great way to support your favorite organization, be it an animal charity, or other great causes like Assistance League of Phoenix. By repurposing your no longer needed items you are also helping our environment and minimizing waste in the landfill
It’s easy to drop items off at the re-seller that seems to be on every street corner. Pull up, drop off, get a receipt for your tax return and drive on. But with a little more effort, those gently used tee shirts and children’s books can help families right down the street! Here’s a few ideas for your next spring cleaning cast offs:
- Treasures 4 Teachers seeks clean, safe and interesting donations that will support our local teachers and students while at the same time preserving our environment. The list of items they need includes paper, pens, fabric, and even those older electronics. Their push toward reuse of everyday items taps into the creative spirit of teaching. Items can be dropped off at their facility in Tempe during business hours. T4T also has a thrift store for resale merchandise. treasures4teachers.org.
- The wish list of NourishPHX includes men’s and children’s clothing, food items, cloth and paper bags, and even empty prescription bottles! These items go to work to assist up to 200 families per day 6 days a week who can use a bit of help here in the heart of Phoenix. Nourish Phoenix – Arizona Food and Clothing Bank (nourishphx.org)
- Harvest Compassion Centers provides their guests with the opportunity to shop through a mini mart type grocery area, and to peruse the clothing bank at each of their three locations. Men’s clothing is always in need. The organization takes care to launder and sort all donations. Linda recently went out picking citrus to provide healthy options of tangelos, lemons, grapefruit and oranges to the many families who come to HCC for help. HCC | Harvest Compassion Center Phoenix/Maryvale
- Thrift to Thrive is Thrive AZ’s thrift store, and it’s a great way to help families in need! All proceeds from Thrift to Thrive benefit their Safe Sleep program providing beds to children and youth in need. Many of the items will be used in the housing facility for youth aging out of foster care. https://thriveaz.org
Many charities have thrift stores who rely on the revenue from reselling household items and furniture to continue their mission. It is a great way to support your favorite organization, be it an animal charity, or other great causes like Assistance League of Phoenix. By repurposing your no longer needed items you are also helping our environment and minimizing waste in the landfill.
Businesses and organizations can pitch in by hosting collection drives geared toward the items that are on their selected charity’s list of greatest needs. Give a little thought to where your donations go, and who will benefit from them. It’s an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others at no cost to you.
Dan Shufelt, the former CEO of Arizona Helping Hands, has been involved in the charity world as an executive and grant maker for many years.
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