How to Donate Clothing to a Homeless Shelter

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, there has been a dramatic increase in homelessness in the United States over the past two decades. Up to two million men, women and children are without a home during the year. One way to help the homeless is to donate used or new clothing to a shelter.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garbage Bags
• Garbage bags

1. Look through your closet for clothing in good condition that you haven't worn in a while. Admit it, you don't need those items - give them away.

2. Include any clothing that no longer fits instead of saving it in the hope that someday you will wear it. There is a perfect size four who needs those wool pants.

3. Go door to door in your neighborhood and collect socks and gloves without a mate that you can give to a shelter to put into unmatched pairs for residents to wear.

4. Donate any extra coats you have, since these are in especially great demand at shelters.

5. Wash items before you give them away, and check to be sure they are not stained or torn.

6. Include personal items such as sample-size shampoos, soaps and deodorant - stuff 'em in a stocking and put it in the giveaway bag.

7. Contact the shelter you want to help directly to find out if there are specific hours during which it accepts donations.

8. Check with a local religious organization, club or civic group to find out if it collects clothing for shelters. If so, you can leave the items there and have the organization deliver them for you.

9. Look for clothing collection boxes in stores, health clubs and other local businesses.

10. Consider the option of leaving clothes in a drop-off box, such as the ones run by the Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Groups such as these sell the clothes they collect in their own stores to raise money to donate for shelters and other good causes.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy new underwear and socks for children and adults, since these items are always in short supply.
• Donate extra blankets, pillows and other household items that can make residents more comfortable during their stay in the shelter.

[serudsindia9]

on 10/31/2009 Thank you for your communication. The floods washedaway in AP state, India. the floods created havoc. pls donate ur used clothes and utensils etc., to the flood victims.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/Floods

Please forward this link to people you know to help strengthen support for the flood-affected.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/mail2seruds/
A small donation can have a BIG impact on someone's life
http://blog.giveindia.org/

pls send the material by courier/ parcel
G.MALLIKARJUNA, B.E., MSW
Cheif Functionary
SERUDS
D.No. 46 / 740, BUDHAVARAPETA,
KURNOOL–518 002, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA
Mobile: [phone] Phone: [phone] - 255626

http://www.giveindia.org/m-988-seruds.aspx

[serudsindia9]

on 9/29/2009 Dear Sir/Madam,

Ours is SERUDS working for the social cause homeless poor and needy. please donate your clothes and utensils for the poor people in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh. Contact

G.MALLIKARJUNA, B.E., MSW
Cheif Functionary
SERUDS ( www.serudsindia.org )
D.No. 46 / 740, BUDHAVARAPETA,
KURNOOL–518 002, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA
Mobile: [phone] Phone: [phone] - 255626

http://www.giveindia.org/m-988-seruds.aspx

[mymission]

on 9/17/2009 Please help....I would like to donate out of state to places that are less fortunate then us or have had natural disasteres...please give me advice as to how to go about this...my e-mail is [e-mail]..thank you rikki

[rdiamonds12]

on 8/12/2009 i have alot of young womens clothes i want to donate and shoes but i dont want the salvation army they sell the clothes i dont agree with that .. i want to give them to the kids and women who have nothing .. i live in nyc where can i go?? please email me [e-mail]

[pvenderley]

on 1/24/2009 I had to find a donation source for my father's used clothing, some of it not in great (that is: saleable) condition, but all of it wearable to someone in need of clothes.
I would suggest searching under Yahoo Yellow Pages for Social and Welfare Services, and call a few numbers there. Yeah, you'll still get Salvation Army and Goodwill and the like, but you can call and ask what they do with the clothing.
I found, in my area, an organization named Homeless Resource Center, which hadn't come up when I searched the yellow pages under "Homeless." Curious.

So try searching by category, and then ask. They'll tell you honestly; they've nothing to hide. They're quite proud of their mission, and should be. Even the thrift store are following a noble, yet indirect, mission of aid.