Following on from ‘Are Charity Shops Misunderstood’Β I promised to expand on some of the other places we can donate to, to get items directly into the hands of those who might need them the most, for free.
5 Charity Shop Alternatives to Help You Reach Those in Need
Don’t get me wrong, charity shops have their plus points, but they’re not the only charitable way to get rid of things you don’t need anymore.
Plus, thrift shopping is quite common these days for people who don’t really need to thrift – they just want the buzz of a bargain andΒ enjoy shopping in a more eco-friendly way – and why not!
1 Help the homeless
Countless community based housing services welcome donations of practical things to give to those experiencing housing difficulties. It’s worth finding out what services are on offer in your area, and the types of donations they would like.
2 Churches
Some churches accept clothing (and other) donations, and then open up their doors so those in need can come and take advantage. Check with churches in your local area to see what they’re doing.
3 Eager job hunters
You heard right!
There are organisations set up to help those who need outfits for job interviews, e.g. for women, there’s Dress for Success a global charity (including UK – London, Ireland and Scotland). You can arrange to have donations delivered on one of their advertised ‘receiving’ days, or drop off in person.
Smart Works is another one in london for women’s clothes.
Similalry for men, Suited and Booted, based in the City of London.
For men and women, Suited for Success, based in UK Birmingham does a similar thing.
These job seeker support services receive brand new clothing and accessory donations directly from retailers (very high end in some cases) as well as those of us with suitable clothes to offer, in good condition.
There are probably lots of these sorts of charities across the country – but unless you work in certain sectors that bring them to your attention to help you support those in need – people are generally unaware of them because they just don’t get the media publicity that some other dominant charities get.
Job hunters do not pay for their outfits, the whole point is to give them that extra bit of help to try and secure a job if they’re already struggling to make ends meet.
You can contact them directly to arrange getting a donation to them.
4 Victim Support shelters/women and children’s refuges etc
Those fleeing domestic abuse or some other crisis may have little or no time to gather their much needed belongings. Donations to related services offer a much needed helping hand and there are plenty to choose from.
5 Crisis/Disaster Appeals
Most of the time disasters around the world will present various means to make money donations online, through banks, GoFundMe or other community based fundraising activities.
Sometimes, they might also ask for specific types of item/clothing donations, along with people who have family connections in those countries (you might know someone) many of whom will organise their own shipments to send ‘home’ to their affected friends and relatives.
You might know of other useful alternatives to charity shops to add to this list – feel free to share below π
lovelifeandbeyond
I agree. In India we have domestic helps who usually get the stuff we don’t use any more. They can either use it or sell it for extra cash
Cherryl
Very charitable πβ¨
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sunisanthosh
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing π
Cherryl
You’re welcome, thanks for reading π€
Liz Dexter
Thanks for visiting my blog, I have added you to my Feedly reader and will look forward to reading more of your posts. This is a really helpful one. I would add that women’s refuges often love to have handbags, as often a woman has left without hers. One of my local independent ones fills them with toiletries and little pampery items as a welcome.
Cherryl
Thanks Liz π€ Filling handbags with toiletries and pampering bits is such a lovely ideaβ¨π and something people could do when donating – thanks for sharing this.
Ana Daksina
Truly great post!
Cherryl
Thanks Anaβ¨
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kimvannie876
Loving this informative post with some practical tips of what to do instead of throwing away good quality clothing.
Cherryl
π€
Carolyn Page
Great ideas, Cherryl. Good quality (and classical styles) always remain so!
xoxoxo
Cherryl
Very true, thanks for reading Carolyn πβ¨
SamSahana
An insightful and interesting post! These are definitely some healthy alternatives.
Cherryl
Thanks Sam π€
writegardener
Very informative post. Thank you for the follow. Warm wishes to you — π
writegardener
Very informative post. And thank you for the follow too. π Warm wishes to you —
Cherryl
Thank you and likewise, you blog is very soothing with your lovely photographs and inspirational themes. πβ¨
writegardener
Well, thank you so much, Cheryl. I appreciate your taking the time to let me know that. π
Dee Min
I learned something today. Thanks for sharing.
Cherryl
You’re welcome, thanks for reading π
Anonymous
Those are all great ways to help people who need clothing but can’t afford to buy quality stuff. One thing to think about when donating is giving stuff that is actually helpful and not simply off loading junk. This is especially true for the organization that help job seekers. The way to think about it is “would i wear this to an interview?”
Cherryl
I agree, I’m sure some of these charities get some questionable donations at times, and for interviews it needs to suitable attire,(though this can be quite subjective nowadays π)
Thanks for reading
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