Resources

  1. Moving Resources
  2. 4 Places to Donate Your Used Belongings
mother and daughter donating clothing and toys
Blog

4 Places to Donate Your Used Belongings

Moving can make you realize how many things you have accumulated. When you are in the process of moving and packing up your belongings for the next adventure, you may decide it’s time to leave some things behind. Instead of throwing your old items away, consider donating them to people in need. There are many great places to donate your used furniture, clothes, appliances, electronics, food and more.

Move for Hunger

Suddath® has partnered with Move for Hunger, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, to reduce food waste and fight hunger nationwide. In more than 20 locations across the United States, Suddath is collecting non-perishable food items and delivering them directly to local food banks. It’s a free and easy way for homeowners to get rid of extra food (and weight!) with Suddath packers already in your home. Since 2009, Move for Hunger has collected and delivered more than 7.6 million pounds of food to local food shelves, thanks to individuals who were intentional about cleaning out their own shelves. If you are interested in learning more about Move for Hunger, you can look into their mission and history on their website.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

While Habitat for Humanity is most well-known for building new homes, they also have a Habitat ReStore where homeowners can donate new and gently used home improvement materials. By donating these materials, not only are you helping Habitat for Humanity use your old pieces to build new homes, but you are also helping to keep reusable materials out of landfills. Habitat ReStore takes items such as:

  • Residential doors
  • Windows
  • Kitchen cabinets
  • Bathroom fixtures
  • Lighting and appliances
  • Flooring
  • Paint
  • Home building tools

The donation process is simple – all you need to do is bring your donations to a Habitat ReStore dock near you during open, accepting store hours. For bulky items, you can arrange for a ReStore truck to come to your home at your convenience by calling the nearest location.

Goodwill

Goodwill has been serving communities since 1902, collecting household goods and clothing donations and reselling them at affordable prices. Donating used items to Goodwill is easy, with more than 3,200 stores in the United States and Canada and more than 2,000 new items on the sales floor each day. Goodwill also uses the revenue generated from selling your used items to fund employment training and job placement services for people in your community. Here’s how you donate:

  1. Gather your items that you would like to donate
  2. Make sure that your items have not been recalled, banned or do not meet current safety standards, otherwise Goodwill will not take them. Call your local Goodwill organization to see if they have any other restrictions on what they can and cannot take, especially with specialty items such as mattresses, computers or bigger appliances.
  3. Find the nearest Goodwill and drop off your items during regular store hours at their drop-off store section.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is an organization with a long history of aid in our country, beginning in 1865 and offering a range of services including health services, disaster relief, religious ministry, school education, adult rehabilitation, combatting human trafficking, hunger relief and more. Their Family Stores take in all sorts of donations, such as appliances, clothing, furniture, household goods, and other miscellaneous home items. If you are unsure if another donation organization will take your items, it is likely The Salvation Army will.

The Salvation Army also takes vehicle donations such as:

  • Automobiles
  • Boats
  • Motorcylces
  • RVs
  • Trucks
  • Trailers
  • To find a drop-off location, schedule a free pickup or find out how to donate your vehicle, you can enter your zip code and find the nearest store on their website.

If you are curious about other donation options for your belongings before you move, contact our Suddath move experts – we’d love to help!