Where Can I Donate Clothes?

I cleaned out my closet this weekend and have a few bags of clothing in good condition. My first reaction was to donate to the Red Cross for hurricane victims, but are there any agencies or shelters in NYC that will give clothing directly to people in need?

Now is a good time to remember that while the poor and displaced of the Gulf Coast need our help and sympathy - and will for quite some time - poverty is not something that only occurs after a natural disaster. We still encourage you to donate to hurricane relief effort, but many of New York's own citizens have to struggle just to keep up with basic needs every day. Your donation of clothing is one good way to help.

Goodwill and the Salvation Army are two places to start. Goodwill has nine locations in four boroughs, so you should be able to find one near you.

The Department of Sanitation runs a website, NYCWasteLess, that includes this list of places that accept donations of clothing. (It also includes lists of places that accept general donations of books, computers, furniture and other goods.)

Two great organizations on the city's list are Dress for Success and Career Gear which accept donations of business attire for women and men, respectively. The organizations provide the proper clothing for women and men to go on interviews and start new careers. They also offer job counseling and other services.

There are many more places where you can donate. NYU students run NYU Clothes Line which accepts donations of clothes for a program to help the needy. Your local church or synagogue might run a shelter or collect clothing. With any organization, be sure to call to check drop-off locations and times. Any tips from Gothamist readers?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Doug Gordon in Miscellaneous on September 6, 2005 11:10 AM

Comments [rss]

Paul Adams

Thanks for sharing the information. I like your post very much. Now I will also donate my clothes at the places you told..
donating money to charity

Florence Fielding

Well, hi there! Have you heard of what happen on new Zealand and japan? Well we donated there. I also donate some unused clothes. It is a heart fulfilling when you help someone.

Florence Fielding,
Car Donation
Wheels for Wishes

mcl

hi!!!!!!

this is the fashion world

today fashion is become life

of youth.......

we should donate the cloths

Best Fashion Info

Erik

Thanks, some nice tips on donating clothes there. While I was looking around the web on this subject I foud a newly started site on this subject: http://www.donatingclothes.com Not much there yet, but maybe it's coming.

Vlad

I'm from Romania and I'm student. The student life is very hard here and if u want to donate and don't know where to donate please contact me by mail on vlad_activ@yahoo.com if u want to help me and give some stuff you don't need.

Thanks

not jack

Um, i have clothes and wanted to find out where to donate them. you guys spend the entire thread talking about jack. thanks.

isabelle cheridant

hello my name is isabelle cheridant

my house got caught on fire on dec.13,2006 in orange ,nj ,we lost everything in the fire and if anyone can please donate clothes or furniture.we need all the help we can get to help us on our feet so please help ! we are currently staying at (bakery village.

490 4th avenue apt 416

newark, nj 07107

we are a family of five ,me my aunt and my 3 cousins ,2 girls and a boy we will accept girls clothing from small to large and boys from small to medium.

please help!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you

Sis Ann Laurie

Redeemed Hearts Ministry

Dear brother and Sister in Christ,

We are extremely happy to meet you as we are also in the greater work of Lord Jesus Christ. We are running a Ministry by name “Redeemed Hearts Ministry” where we share our love of our Lord through serving the orphans, poor widows and Widowers. There are many beggars wandering nakedly and we feel extremely unhappy to help them as our resources are only the people in Christ but not the financial support. When they beg in front of our Ministry, I really hang myself in shame as we don’t have any old or new clothes to give for them.

Hence, I humbly request you to send us the old clothes for our ministry. And for every pair of clothes I will be assuredly accountable in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world and heavens. Please put a grace upon our activities at our web address: www.geocities.com/redeemedhear...

I remain

Your loving sister in Christ

Ann Laurie

Secretary

Redeemed Hearts Ministry

E-mail: redeemedheartsministry@yahoo.co.in

JK

www.freecycle.org actually.

JK

NYCWasteLe$$ has moved!

Please change your bookmarks to: www.nyc.gov/nycwasteless

Christy

freecycle.com is fantastic.

Post what you have on their board and you'll receive a billion responses in seconds. You arrange with recipient date, time for them to pick up, etc. You can also post for things that you are looking to receive as well. I've used it a bunch of times to give away stuff that is too good to throw away but I no longer need. They also organize a "Free Meet" every few months where you can drop off clothing, computers, and everything else and take whatever is left by others - ALL 100% FREE! Last one was in East Village and wildly successful. Most users are very respectful, grateful and friendly. Give it a try.

Lat

Where can I donate used toys and children clothing in NY ?

Thanks

Sam

Maybe if I recommended shredding someone would have responded with an answer to my question sooner.

Sam

I've cleaned out my daughter's closet of some old toys. Some are actually in very good shape,- as are the stuffed animls and books and some other small toys. 3 bags in all. I hate to see the stuff go to waste- any suggestions for drop off? I work in NYC-Manhattan, and live in Queens. Thanks for any help, -S.A.

Lalhmangai

Hill-tribes’ Mission Aid of India - A great organization that helps poorest of the poor tribals, needy children and orphans who are working hard to stay clean and sober. Needs men’s, women’s and kid's used clothes and used toys. You can send to this address directly of your used clothes items by VPP parcel: Hill-tribes’ Mission Aid of India, Box – 26 Rengkai Road, Churachandpur – 795128, Manipur, India (Phone: (91) 3874-235599), e-mail: infohmai@yahoo.com

Tom

plus, man, you do comment on here a lot. A LOT. haven't seen kojak, s.d. or any of those other frequent gothamisters on this one. you are an ass.

Tom

Jack is a jerk. Plain and simple. I'm sure he was poor, but not in poverty. Big difference. What an ass to come on here while people are trying to do some good. Cash helps, sure, but should we just waste all the stuff we don't use anymore. Here's an idea, throw out all the old cans in your cabinet since poor people need cash more than food. Don't donate medical supplies (bandages, first aid kits) because poor people need money more than that stuff. Jack, your reasoning is terrible and you have proven yourself to be so resoundingly insensitive and stupid it's a wonder you can even turn on your computer to make these commments.

Apologize, man. That would show some real class.

ray

http://www.kohlscorporation.com/companyNews/News02.htm

Donate gently used clothes to Kohl's.

Jim

Jeez, Jack. We're not talking about federal pork spending, we're talking about clothes. How Congress and the White House spent money on homeland defense has little bearing on whether or not most people can afford clothing and food. A lot of federal money was wasted on 9/11, but most personal donations were not. I walked a case of saline eye wash over to a fire department on 9/12 and it was put to use immediately by firefighters washing the neverending dust from their eyes. I brought clean t-shirts so rescue workers would have something to change into after doing their work - many had not brought their own clothes after quickly being dispatched to NYC. i also gave cash to various agencies, but those material gifts had an immediate and helpful effect.

I can't identify my shelter directly because we have confidentiality issues; battered women and children who come to one of our facilities. we have another facility for homeless men, and much of the clothing that comes in goes to them. (we tend to get more men's clothing it seems.) it helps immensely. i strongly encourage people to donate good but unwanted clothing to local shelters because i've seen the difference it can make. having a clean shirt to change into every day gives a person an added amount of dignity when so much of it is taken away by homelessness.

for every WHAM t-shirt we get, Jack, we also get donations of new socks, packs of t-shirts, jeans, button down shirts, dress pants and more. those things help. some of our men are homeless but actually have jobs. for various reasons -- including expensive housing, personal tragedies, health problems, and, sometimes, bad choices -- they can't make their money last long enough to make it each month. the things we give them allows them to have a few more bucks to put towards savings or, in most cases, food when our facility is closed during the day. some of our men can hardly afford the $2 subway fare to get to and from our shelter each night.

No one expects donated clothes to solve every problem, but they help in small but important ways. Why can't you even just admit that and move on? What kind of position are you trying to defend?

Jack

"so maybe it isn't 90%, but really, you sure seem to comment on a hell of a lot more posts than the average reader."

Quantify your misconceptions.

"did you ever apologize to jim, who directly refuted your claim that most clothing gets shredded?"

No, because I do know that most does get shredded. Do some research. And there's nothing wrong with clothing being shredded. I know that people have fantasies of their WHAM UK or Adam Ant t-shirts finding their way to a needy soul, but what's wrong with the material being used for filling or being sold overseas? Heck, most donations do get sold in bulk overseas. It's a known fact. Much in the same way most of the U.S. discarded electronics are shipped to China. Do some research. And Jim's credentials are quite vague--and questionable--since he can't even identify the group he works for.

Perhaps you should step back and realize that sometimes just tossing things at a problem does not solve things.

Heck, wasn't an insurmountable amout of resources thrown at the federal government after 9-11 to take care of its own people in case of an emergency? Glad to say that we all sacrificed so much in this country to get so little.