When you are getting rid of items, instead of throwing them into the trash, consider that you can donate stuff that is gently used to charitable locations either near you or mail it to a worthy cause listed below. With some planning, you can make a big difference in someone's life! Below is a list of charities I have found over the 25+ years of organizing with clients. Here are some examples of things you can donate: Unused/Unwrapped toys, American Girl Dolls, Furniture (Affiliate Link), Bicycles, flags, Stuffed Animals, blankets, baby items, household items, kids' books, CDs, audiobooks, clothing, shoes (Affiliate Link), hangers, jewelry (Affiliate Link), cars or automobiles, old trophies, clothing, electronics, including mobile devices, mattresses and box springs, prescription glasses, work attire, yearbooks, and formal wear/gowns. Scroll through the Jump To area below to get right to the charity section you are looking for.
We do not endorse any of these donation locations.
Where can I donate this item?
Scroll through the list and click on the item you want to donate. It will take you to that section with a drop-down list of charitable locations.
Jump to:
- Unused Toys Donation
- Gently Used American Girl Dolls Donation
- Stuffed Animals in good condition Donation
- Unwanted blankets and other animal supplies Donation
- Baby items(Gently or New) and other small household items Donation
- Baby Formula Donation
- Household Items to Donate
- Cell phone and Mobile Devices Accessories Donation
- Kids' Books, CDs, and audiobooks (Gently used) Donation
- Medical Supplies Donation
- Kitchen supplies, Pots and Pans, Kitchenware, and Dishes Donation
- Business attire, casual clothing, shoes, hangers, etc. (Gently Used) Donation
- Custom Jewelry and Fine Jewelry Donation
- Dresses, Work Clothes, Gowns, and Wedding Dresses Donation
- Running Car Donation
- Old Trophies Donation
- Prescription Eyeglasses Donation
- Old Yearbooks Donation
- Old American Flags Donation
- Mattress and Box Springs Donation
- Everything else not listed here to donate
- How can I remember to donate to these places?
- Supplies you will need to donate items
- Apps to help you track your donations
Several Southeastern Pennsylvania area charity places will accept donations of gently used items. I also included United States-based charitable locations outside Pennsylvania for your convenience.
Click on the drop-down below to see the places for your particular item.
Unused Toys Donation
Click to see donation locations
Below are just three I found for the area and nationwide.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other children's hospitals
BrickDreams - Legos only
Daycare Centers
Churches, synagogues, Mosques, and other Religious Organizations
Gently Used American Girl Dolls Donation
Click to see donation locations
Visit the American Girl Doll Philanthropy page for information on who they recommend.
Stuffed Animals in good condition Donation
Click to see donation locations
Stuffed Animals for Emergencies
New, unused, and recently purchased toys, Ronald McDonald House Charities
Unwanted blankets and other animal supplies Donation
Click to see donation locations
Animal hospital centers, like ACCT Philly (Animal Care and Control Team).
Your local animal grooming and boarding place, the Pennsylvania SPCA animal shelter, is looking for items.
Baby items(Gently or New) and other small household items Donation
Click to see donation locations
Women shelters, like Laurel House. The phone number for the office is 610-277-1860.
If you have larger baby furniture (Affiliate Link), contact them to see if they accept the baby furniture (Affiliate Link). Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Furniture (Affiliate Link) Only). Enter your zip code here to find one near you.
There is a place called "Once Upon a Child" where you can sell gently used baby and kids' stuff.
Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia is accepting donations for baby and kid gently used items. Visit their website for details. There is a National Website, Chicago website, and Boston website if you live in these areas.
Baby Formula Donation
Click to see donation locations
If you need to donate baby formula (not opened), you can check out Feeding America to find a Food Bank near you.
A Baby's Breath has several locations for baby formula donation.
Household Items to Donate
This list is all the places that accept electronics, furniture (Affiliate Link), tools (Affiliate Link), children's bicycles, and other miscellaneous items.
Some locations will pick up, and some will need to deliver the items. Check the site below to find out their policies.
NOTE: Pennsylvania passed a law about recycling tube TVs, but hasn't set up the procedures. So, to get rid of tube TVs, you will need to either give them away on Craigslist or contact a haulaway company, where you will pay a fee.
Feel free to visit a more detailed post on how to donate electronics: HOW TO GET RID OF HOUSEHOLD ELECTRONICS
Cell phone and Mobile Devices Accessories Donation
The list of links below is specifically for cell phones, tablets (Affiliate Link), and accessories.
Click to see donation locations
Apple has a Trade-In program where you can recycle any competitor's mobile devices and accessories. If you recycle their device, you may also get store credit for a new one. Visit this link for more information below.
Samsung also has a recycling program for its products. Check it out below.
Google also has a recycling program where you can recycle their phones, tablets (Affiliate Link), etc..
Kids' Books, CDs, and audiobooks (Gently used) Donation
Kids should always be learning, but when they have outgrown their books, CDs, and audiobooks, try these places to donate things.
Click to see donation locations
Perkiomen Valley Library at Schwenksville
Libraries
Check out this page to see where to donate books when you don't want them any longer.
Medical Supplies Donation
You can donate wheelchairs, crutches, and blood pressure cuffs can be donated to:
Click to see donation locations
Kitchen supplies, Pots and Pans, Kitchenware, and Dishes Donation
Finding the right location to donate is critical so it doesn't get tossed in a landfill.
Click to see donation locations
Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
American Veterans - AMVETS - They pick up in Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Delaware, Texas, and Oklahoma. ***5 years old or less.
Business attire, casual clothing, shoes, hangers, etc. (Gently Used) Donation
Be sure to wash the clothes before donating. Contact them first before dropping things off.
Click to see donation locations
American Veterans - AMVETS - They pick up in Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Delaware, Texas, and Oklahoma. ***5 years old or less.
Undergarment donation - The Bra Recyclers
I found a great place from a colleague of mine where you can donate your gently used undergarments. Visit their page, The Bra Recyclers, for more information. You will need to wash the items and then fill out the online form and mail items to them. They are located in Phonix, Arizona.
Check out ReTold Recycling; there is a fee, but you can fill up the bags of clothing and scraps of material and mail them to them postage-paid. They donate the items to thrift stores, donation centers, recyclers, resellers, and upcycler. The goal of this company is not to place items in a landfill.
Custom Jewelry and Fine Jewelry Donation
Custom jewelry (Affiliate Link) can go to a variety of places.
Click to see donation locations
Goodwill Industries International Inc.
Crafters/artists
Visit our post: Where to donate jewelry you do not want for more options.
Dresses, Work Clothes, Gowns, and Wedding Dresses Donation
If you have several dresses, formalwear, or work clothes, check out these places to donate to a worthy cause.
Click to see donation locations
Brides Across America - wedding dresses
Brides For A Cause - wedding dresses
Donate My Wedding Dress - wedding dresses
Running Car Donation
Check out local charities to see if they need a running vehicle. Or, you can check out these locations below. Be sure you have the owner's papers for the vehicle.
Click to see donation locations
Old Trophies Donation
Read the requirements for trophy donations. They do not accept several types of trophies.
Click to see donation locations
You can sell recycled trophies on Esty. Check out some examples here.
Thrift stores and nonprofits - may take old trophies. Contact places like Salvation Army and Goodwill to confirm before bringing them to the store.
Prescription Eyeglasses Donation
Click to see donation locations
The Lions Club International has a prescription eyeglasses donation. Feel free to read about the program here. At the Walmart Vision Centers, usually inside Walmart, they have a Lions Club bin. For local people: The Walmart, in Norristown on Trooper Road has a bin. I called to confirm.
Also, check out OneSight - gently used glasses
Visit our NEW post: 15 Charitable Locations with a Cause, for even more options for your unwanted stuff!
Old Yearbooks Donation
There are places to donate your unwanted yearbooks. This one is one I just recently came across from another organizer. Feel free to check it out. Feel free to visit our What to do with old yearbooks for more tips.
Click to see donation locations
Classmates High School Yearbooks
You can also contact your high school and ask them if they want it.
Visit our post about "Where to Donate Old Yearbooks" to get even more information.
Old American Flags Donation
Click to see donation locations
Mattress and Box Springs Donation
Usually, mattresses and box springs can be given to the company when you buy a new mattress. But if you just want to get rid of mattresses, below are some options.
Click to see donation locations
Salvation Army will accept mattresses and box springs in good condition.
Your local recycling center is a good place to go to recycle the old mattress and box springs. Be aware there may be a fee involved.
The Freecycle.org network can also be in your area, and you may be able to give it away for free.
Everything else not listed here to donate
You can check out this site to find one near you: Donationtown.org
Additional Tips: Ask your accountant or financial adviser about what limits there may be for you when donating large quantities of items. With the new tax laws, there may be limits on how much you can deduct from your tax return.
How can I remember to donate to these places?
Create a 'where to donate' charitable donation sheet as a reminder.
Create your own charitable donation location list. Include columns like the address of the location, what you donate to that charity, the phone number or email for any questions, their hours and pick up or drop off times. Using colored dots to place on the larger items works nicely if you cannot be there when they are picking up the items. You can even add the name of the color dot to the checklist (Affiliate Link). Feel free to print the checklist (Affiliate Link) below if you don't want to make your own. If you want more information, click here.
Supplies you will need to donate items
It's easier to bring things to these donation locations in bulk in some sort of order to help not only you but also others. Below are some suggestions on what supplies you would need when decluttering and donating items to charities.
1. Ask the small charity what they prefer
First, if you are donating to a particular organization, you can ask them directly how they want the items delivered. They may need grocery bags to reuse in their store. Or they may prefer to use garbage bags or paper bags.
2. Bags
There are a variety of bags you will need for decluttering and donating things. Bags will range in sizes. depending on the things you are placing in them. It can range from lawn bags (Affiliate Link) that are very large. Construction bags (Affiliate Link) are also handy for things that are heavier. Kitchen bags (Affiliate Link) are great for smaller things as well as clothing.
3. Boxes
You can also use a variety of boxes (Affiliate Link). Shipping boxes (Affiliate Link) work nicely. However, boxes (Affiliate Link) that are too large may be difficult to handle and move. They can be useful for delicate items you need to donate. Covering the items in bubble wrap (Affiliate Link) or tissue paper (Affiliate Link) will help secure them.
If you are looking for more things for moving help, feel free to check out my moving posts here:
Apps to help you track your donations
Track Your Donation Apps
NEW: Check out an app for iOS that will help you track your donations.
ItsDeductible Donation Tracker – Maximize your charitable donation tax deductions by Intuit Inc.
NEW: These apps for iOS will help you find charitable locations near you to donate to.
The Salvation Army Family Store App by The Salvation Army Family Stores
If you are looking for charity locations outside of Pennsylvania, please visit Charity Navigator. You can search by zip code. =)
Are you looking for another way to recycle your boxes (Affiliate Link) AND donate things? Check out this company called Give Back Box. Read more about them here. -NOT an affiliate. Are you going to try it?
Well, there you have it! I hope this page helps you get rid of unwanted items. This extensive list gives you a great place to donate stuff in your life.
"Giving to others is a great way to motivate yourself to declutter." ~ Sabrina Quairoli >>>Visit our HUGE List on the Charitable Locations To Donate Stuff page to donate your stuff today! #charity #donateitems #sabrinasorganizing Share on XPlease note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Read more for more places to donate and how to donate.
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