Before you drop off donated items, call and ask what they need

You have a bag of things that are too good to throw away. It feels certain that someone can use them. Many people suggest a short call first, because a place that cannot use what arrives still has to store it, sort it or pay to get rid of it.

Shelter England, a UK housing and homelessness charity with shops, says it plainly on its donation page: there are items it can’t accept “as we won’t be able to sell them in our charity shops and it may cost us money to dispose of them.”

Before you give things away, call or read the website of the place you have in mind, ask what it needs right now, and give only what is clean, whole and wanted.

This page is for things you want to give. It is not a way to dispose of broken things, and it is not for someone who needs these items themselves; the last section says where to start if that is you.

The answer is different at every door

Places that take donations write their own rules, and the rules disagree with each other. A few, in their own words:

• The City of Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions runs a donation program for its shelters. Its pamphlet says: “Clothing donations must be new and packaged.” It lists “New and packaged socks, underwear” among what is needed, and says donations are accepted only from adults over 18.
• Crisis, a UK homelessness charity, says of its shops: “Donations must be clean and of saleable quality.” It says it is “not able to accept larger furniture items or household appliances”, or “anything that could be deemed dangerous or unhygienic.”
• Shelter England lists “used bedding, blankets, duvets, pillows or towels”, “underwear or pyjamas without new tags”, and “broken, dirty or damaged items” among the things it can’t accept.

Now read what a county animal shelter says. Person County Animal Services in North Carolina accepts “Towels, Washcloths and Small Blankets - new or gently used.” It cannot accept “Large blankets or comforters”, “Torn/heavily used towels or blankets”, or “Sheets, Pillows.” Some people say worn-out towels and blankets are welcome at animal shelters. The Shelter England shops do not take used towels, and this animal shelter does not take torn ones. The same old towel is wanted at one place and refused at the next.

That is why the call matters. Some people say a shelter can lack the room or the need for what a donor drops off. One person says that when a place has to turn something away, the people living there who watch it being refused can be upset.

Questions that follow from the examples above:

1. Do you need this kind of item right now?
2. Is used fine, or only new and packaged?
3. Should it be washed first?
4. Where and when can I bring it, and is there a door I should use?
5. Is a large item or a large amount all right? One person says donating a lot at once can be hard, because many organizations will not collect.

Ask before you give anything made for a baby or small child, such as a crib or cot, a bassinet, a car seat or a toy. In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says its safety laws apply to charities and to people who give used products away, and that “Products used in the nursery, especially cribs and bassinets, have caused deaths.” You can check a product against the recall lists at cpsc.gov, and a car seat at nhtsa.gov. In the UK, product safety recalls are listed on GOV.UK.

Some people say money lets an organization buy exactly what it needs. If you are unsure, you can ask the place whether it would rather have cash; this page does not decide it for you.

Clothes: wash them, and ask about socks and underwear

Crisis wants donations clean. One person says to wash clothes first because many shelters lack the means to wash them, and to give only clothes that are wearable, with no rips or stains. One person says donated children’s clothes can arrive dirty, because a small outfit is worn for one last day and then bagged.

Two of the places above say underwear must be new: Phoenix asks for socks and underwear new and packaged, and Shelter England takes underwear only with new tags. One person adds that some charities refuse used socks even when washed. If you want to give socks or underwear, buy them new.

One person suggests checking the pockets before you bag clothes, so nothing of yours goes in by accident.

Toys and gifts for a hospital

Some people say stuffed animals are an infection risk in a hospital, and one person says play rooms are already full of them. One hospital gives that reason in its own words, and another refuses used soft toys outright. Duke Children’s, a hospital in North Carolina, says: “We cannot accept used stuffed animals, toys, or books due to our infection control policy.” It also says donors cannot deliver gifts directly to patients. Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity in London says: “We can’t accept any used or second-hand items, such as toys, games, magazines, books, soft toys and clothing.” It asks you not to wrap gifts, and not to bring them to the hospital but to send them to the charity’s offices.

One person says some hospitals do take new stuffed animals for patients who cannot reach a play room. The two quotes above show the rule changes by hospital, so look up the hospital’s own donations page. One person says to ask what is wanted, because needs differ: board games, craft supplies and coloring books can be wanted where soft toys are not.

Bags for young people in foster care

Some people describe children who are moved between homes carrying their things in garbage bags (rubbish bags in the UK), and say a suitcase or bag of their own helps a child feel their belongings matter. Some people say old suitcases and sports bags are worth giving. One person says used suitcases can be refused, and that new ones with the tags on are wanted. Another says some places already have a store of spare ones.

Here is one middle position. The District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency, on its Partners for Kids and Families page, takes “New and gently used luggage, including duffle bags.” Gently used luggage “should be in excellent condition”, clean and fully functional, with no broken zippers or handles. It takes donations “Monday – Thursday, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. by appointment only.”

That is one agency in one city. Another may want only new bags. One person says social workers cannot easily keep luggage in their own cars, so bags usually go out at an office. Call the foster or children’s services agency near you and ask. This page read no UK page on this subject, so in the UK start with the fostering service where you live, which a search for “fostering service” and your town will find.

If you are a young person who is moving between homes and only has a bag for your things, your caseworker (in the UK, your social worker) is the person to ask whether the agency has luggage.

Who this page is not for

If you have things that are broken, very dirty or past repair, this page is not for them. The places quoted say they cannot take broken, dirty or damaged items. Some people suggest a local free-items group for things that still work but are too worn for a shop.

If you are the one who needs clothes, bedding or supplies, asking first works from your side too, because a place can tell you what it has and who it helps. In the US, 211 can point you to local help. In the UK, Citizens Advice in England, Scotland and Wales, Advice NI (0800 915 4604) in Northern Ireland, or your local council, can tell you what is near you.

This page does not rank charities or thrift stores. Some people argue hard about large thrift chains and whether to give to a shelter instead, and the arguments turn on what each person values.