Where To Donate?!

During this "Possessions" month, I'm focused on learning more about the different places you are able to donate to help support the local community. So far, I have pulled together: casual women's clothing, professional women's clothing, scarves/hats/gloves, athletic shoes, sandals, bags/purses, jewelry, books, furniture, home goods, sheets/towels, electronics. I was hoping to donate to many different places (goal of at least 7) with the hopes to help support as many different groups within our community as possible.

Below is a list of the different organizations I will be donating to, specification of what type of item will go to each group and a brief explanation of how their organization works. (I'm still researching a bit to find a few more--but this is where we currently stand.)

During this Seven project, my family and friends have been showing such wonderful support and have been asking how they can get involved. As I've been pulling together my items, it kind of hit me--why not invite everyone to help support our community together?!

So I'm putting the offer out to all my lovely people: go through your closets, pull together items you'd like to donate, pack them in a bag and I will take them and drop them off for you! Please count up the number of items you're donating before you bag them up and just let me know your total. For my ladies, please be sure to bag up casual women's clothing separate from professional women's clothing (these will be going to two different organizations). For my guys, let me know if you have any men's professional clothing you'd like to donate and I'll find an organization similar to WGB for us to bring to.

Feel free to send me a quick text/email if you'd like to participate and we can plan a meeting time for me to get your stuff. At the end of the month, lets see how many items we (as a team) are able to donate! As always, thanks so very much from my heart to yours for all the kind support.



Goodwill
Fairfax, VA
donating: women’s casual clothing, jewelry, scarves, bags/purses

When you donate to Goodwill, they take your items and sell them in one of their 2,900 Goodwill stores across the country or on their online auction site, shopgoodwill.com. When someone purchases an item from the Goodwill Store, that money is used to fund job training and other services for individuals in our community. Goodwill impressively used 83 percent of the revenue generated through donations to support and grow programs that result in significant social impact for our community members in need of work. Thanks to the programs made possible by these donations, more than 261,000 people earned jobs in 2013 – that’s one person finding a job every 27 seconds of every business day.

The Salvation Army
Fairfax, VA
donating: women’s casual clothing, jewelry, scarves, bags/purses

When you donate goods to The Salvation Army, those goods are then sold through the Salvation Army Family Stores. All proceeds from those purchases are used to fund their Adult Rehabilitation Centers. The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers provide spiritual, social and emotional assistance for men and women who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves. Each center offers residential housing, work and therapy. The physical and spiritual care that program participants receive prepares them to re-enter society and return to gainful employment. Many of those who have been rehabilitated are reunited with their families and resume a normal life. To view many true stories of recovery from the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, click here.

Habitat for Humanity NOVA 
Alexandria, VA
donating: women's clothing

Habitat for Humanity Northern VA's ReStores recently added Savers Donation Network bins inside the stores for customers to donate clothing, shoes and linens. Habitat NOVA partners with Savers Donation Network, which operates local Savers thrift stores whose sales of donated items help support charities. Saver's longstanding success hinges on solid working relationships with 140 nonprofit partners across the US, Canada, and Australia. Every time you donate reusable clothing and household items to a Community Donation Center, Savers then pays that nonprofit partner based on the number of boxes and bags of merchandise they collect (over the past 10 years, they’ve paid more than $1.5 billion!). From there, Savers sorts through the donations to sell in their stores. Savers accepts items like clothing, shoes, linens and curtains, jewelry, small housewares and soft household items. The partnership between Habitat for Humanity and Savers Donation Network generates funds to help support Habitat's mission to provide affordable homeownership opportunities in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church.

Women Giving Back (WGB)
Chantilly, VA
donating: women’s professional clothing

Women Giving Back (WGB) is a HomeAid program that provides clothing free-of-charge to women and children referred by area case managers – most of whom live in a shelter environment. Many of these women are employed or attending school and need professional clothing and accessories in order to participate fully in the workplace. Being able to select clothing that suits them not only brings a smile to their faces, but also provides the boost of self-confidence that is so necessary to rebuilding their lives on a secure foundation. WBG distributes vouchers to area case managers which may then be passed on to clients. The women and children visiting WBG are looking to start again and need to present a dignified, clean, and professional appearance. Suits, separates, business attire, shoes, jewelry, coats, unopened make up & toiletries, purses, and business accessories are accepted. They also accept children’s clothing, shoes, and toys.

Art For Humanity
Arlington, VA
donating: sheets, CD player, jewelry, laptop bag, backpack

Art For Humanity is an all volunteer charity with no paid staff, warehouse or offices. Last year, they delivered approximately $740,000 worth of humanitarian aid to communities in Honduras with a budget of only $160,000. The source of their funding is through financial donations from compassionate individuals who want to help the poor. Art For Humanity’s strategy is to collect and distribute donated used items. Those donations include shoes, clothing, sheets, towels, and other household items. They give those donations to poor families. Those families use some of the donated goods for the needs of their extended family and they also sell some. With the proceeds from any items they are able to sell, they build a home, pay educational expenses and many begin a small home based business with which they provide for their family.

Friends of the Centreville Regional Library
Centreville, VA
donating: books

“The Friends” maintain ongoing fund raising activities with proceeds benefiting the Centreville Regional Library and the system as a whole. The Friends group has provided supplemental funding for the Summer Reading Program; assisted in funding enhanced interior and exterior signage and provided funds for branch programming, with emphasis on programs for children and teens. Friends of the Centreville Regional Library hold two major book sales each year; one in the spring and one in the fall, which continue to be very successful. They also have an ongoing sale in the library. The Friends accept good-conditioned hardback and paperback books with an emphasis on popular reading for both adults and children.


Ps, here's a tune that I would like to dedicate to week two.

"May God bless and keep you always. May your wishes all come true. May you always do for others and let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. And may you stay forever young."