If you’re someone that enjoys the feeling of giving back to your community, you have probably donated items around your house to local charities before. Most likely, they were the standards we think of when we imagine donating—clothes, shoes, and old furniture. However, there are actually quite a few things that charities will take besides these. We’ll go over five things you didn’t know you could donate to give you some ideas for future donations.
Avid readers know the pain of needing to get rid of books when their shelves get full. If this happens to you, those books can go on to inspire and entertain many more people by donating them. Most secondhand stores will gladly take books, or you can donate them to a more focused group that provides books to the underprivileged.
Sometimes you find a piece of jewelry and just know that you won’t wear it again. This is the perfect opportunity to donate these items. The kind of charity you want to donate jewelry to will resell those pieces in your place. They will then use that money to directly benefit charities that they are partnered with. You must make sure the jewelry is in good condition before you hand it over.
As strange as it may seem, eyeglasses are in very high demand among charitable organizations. Having eyeglasses is a luxury that not everyone can afford. Many people suffer from poor vision for their entire lives because they can’t afford them. If you already have glasses, chances are high that you have spare pairs cluttering up your house. Put them to good use and give them a new life.
One of the most common things that you didn’t know you could donate is an old cell phone. You’re not alone if you never really knew what to do with your old phone when you got a new one. There are many charities that focus on fixing and refurbishing old phones for those that can’t afford them. They can be extremely helpful to these people as they look for jobs and better their futures.
Not every charitable organization will take clothing that is in poor condition, but there are many of them that do. This is because, rather than using them as actual clothes, they will convert them into other things such as rags or mattress stuffing. This is a much better option than throwing your clothes away where they will pollute the earth by sitting in a landfill.