Unfortunately around here I think a lot of people are going to stop donating to places like Salvation Army and Big Brothers Big Sisters where they take donated items and resell them because of what you just said...and because someone who was picking up clothes or something at someone's house for one of these organizations stole Easter cards that had money in them for the couple's grandchildren! They caught the guy because he took the cards and left the receipt for the clothes in the mailbox...then went back to take the receipt back so they wouldn't know it was him and the cops were already there.
Craziness.
And while I think it's more of an individual's problem than a NPO, I think the event made people very uneasy about having strangers come to their house to pick something up now, coupled with "snottiness" at donation sites, is going to significantly decrease donations to these organizations.
Freecycle isn't tax deductible but you can usually get rid of a lot of your stuff that way...and there are some people on there that just like free stuff, and some that have fallen on hard times, or have had to move out of bad situations and now have nothing and can't afford to furnish an entire home. I also like to donate to our local church, battered women's shelter, safe home for kids, food shelf, etc where the people use the goods and not the profits.
Our local soup kitchen can't take food that isn't from a store either because they don't know what was put on it (pesticides) or if it was grown on a Superfund Site etc. It sucks and it's frustrating for us that have local produce and want to share, but it also makes sense because unfortunately there are jerks out there. However, there is a community garden that gives produce to the soup kitchen, but I know they had to jump through a lot of hoops.
My grandparents volunteer at the town food shelf, and they say that cash is better because they can buy subsidized food through a program, so $1 in cash gives them more than $1 in canned goods or something. I keep a paper bag out and when it's full I bring it to the food shelf. I fill it with things that I overestimate that I need...like if I buy 2 mixes and I only need 1, or things that are on sale like buy 1 get 2 free and I only need one...or if I buy things from Costco I donate a few cans of the pack.
Sometimes you can find groups that help homeless people that would take the food or clothing etc to a local homeless camp.
I don't know if there are organizations like this where you live, but in CT we have an organization called MySBK that takes in working computers, monitors, printers, etc and gives them to families in need who can't afford computers but need them for work, school, etc.
Also, libraries usually take ANY books an will resell them to make some money for new books, or if they are really nice and don't have them use them for the library. There are also book bins at local colleges for old textbooks or any books to be used in literacy programs around the world, and you can find local groups that take in books for literacy programs right in your state/town. My Girl Scout troop had a goal of getting 100 books to give to the reading room at the local prison (for prisoner's to read to their children when they visit), and we ended up getting 1000 because everyone had these old books and didn't know what to do with them! The ones we couldn't use we either recycled (some were really bad) or donated to other organizations.
Wow...that post ended up being a lot longer than I intended it to be!
ETA the key to buying from Goodwill or Salvation Army is buying clothes etc on 50% day or buying whatever "color" is 50% off that week. $10 jeans are not a huge find...but $3 jeans are! I bought my farming clothes there...but I agree, some of the prices are absurd.
-Meg
Craziness.
And while I think it's more of an individual's problem than a NPO, I think the event made people very uneasy about having strangers come to their house to pick something up now, coupled with "snottiness" at donation sites, is going to significantly decrease donations to these organizations.
Freecycle isn't tax deductible but you can usually get rid of a lot of your stuff that way...and there are some people on there that just like free stuff, and some that have fallen on hard times, or have had to move out of bad situations and now have nothing and can't afford to furnish an entire home. I also like to donate to our local church, battered women's shelter, safe home for kids, food shelf, etc where the people use the goods and not the profits.
Our local soup kitchen can't take food that isn't from a store either because they don't know what was put on it (pesticides) or if it was grown on a Superfund Site etc. It sucks and it's frustrating for us that have local produce and want to share, but it also makes sense because unfortunately there are jerks out there. However, there is a community garden that gives produce to the soup kitchen, but I know they had to jump through a lot of hoops.
My grandparents volunteer at the town food shelf, and they say that cash is better because they can buy subsidized food through a program, so $1 in cash gives them more than $1 in canned goods or something. I keep a paper bag out and when it's full I bring it to the food shelf. I fill it with things that I overestimate that I need...like if I buy 2 mixes and I only need 1, or things that are on sale like buy 1 get 2 free and I only need one...or if I buy things from Costco I donate a few cans of the pack.
Sometimes you can find groups that help homeless people that would take the food or clothing etc to a local homeless camp.
I don't know if there are organizations like this where you live, but in CT we have an organization called MySBK that takes in working computers, monitors, printers, etc and gives them to families in need who can't afford computers but need them for work, school, etc.
Also, libraries usually take ANY books an will resell them to make some money for new books, or if they are really nice and don't have them use them for the library. There are also book bins at local colleges for old textbooks or any books to be used in literacy programs around the world, and you can find local groups that take in books for literacy programs right in your state/town. My Girl Scout troop had a goal of getting 100 books to give to the reading room at the local prison (for prisoner's to read to their children when they visit), and we ended up getting 1000 because everyone had these old books and didn't know what to do with them! The ones we couldn't use we either recycled (some were really bad) or donated to other organizations.
Wow...that post ended up being a lot longer than I intended it to be!
ETA the key to buying from Goodwill or Salvation Army is buying clothes etc on 50% day or buying whatever "color" is 50% off that week. $10 jeans are not a huge find...but $3 jeans are! I bought my farming clothes there...but I agree, some of the prices are absurd.
-Meg
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