How to Donate Military Items

Donating military items is an easy way to support the troops and the less-fortunate of your country. With particular military items, such as journals or personal histories, donating them to museums or similar institutions is a generous way to assist in keeping a collective memory, as well as in educating civilians about military life and war.

Things You'll Need

• Military items
• Computer
• Telephone

Instructions

1. Visit the website "military uniform exchange" at http://www.militaryuniformexchange.com/exchange/cindex.asp?id=Military_Thrift_Shops. There you'll find a listing of army bases near you that have thrift shops. Contact the store and inquire as to whether they'd be interested in receiving the items you have. Thrift stores on Army bases usually accept old uniforms, especially if they're in good condition, and will possibly be open to accepting other items, like boots, as well.

2. Contact your nearest Army surplus store. Tell them the type of military items that you'd like to donate and find out whether they'd accept them. Be sure to specify the condition your items are in.

3. Contact institutions that collect articles of military history. Contact the senior librarian at the Smithsonian at [phone] and the Library of Congress at [phone]. Call the National Archives at [phone], and the American War library at [phone]. Describe which items you'd like to donate and the condition that they're in. If interested, the respective institutions will ask you to mail the items to them for display or storage. Be sure to provide your complete contact information when sending each item.

4. Contact your local Goodwill or Salvation Army organization and ask whether they would be interested in accepting the items you have available. Articles like warm coats and jackets might be particularly welcome in some locations.

References

• Military Uniform Exchange: Thrift Shops
• American Vets: Donations

Resources

• Goodwill
• Salvation Army