Where To Donate Household Items: 12 Places Near You
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Whether youre moving or cleaning a loved ones home after they pass, donating household items is a part of life. Taking the time to get rid of the things you no longer need can be therapeutic, and it also clears the way for new belongings.
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However, donating household goods isnt always that straightforward. Charities and nonprofit groups have limits to what theyll accept, and it can be confusing to know where you can make donations.
When you donate things you no longer need, they have the opportunity to be used by someone who does have use for them. Not only is this eco-friendly, but its also a way to do good in your community. Even better, these donations are often tax-deductible.
With that in mind, where can you donate household items? Whether youre cleaning out a parents house after they die or spring cleaning, this guide is for you. Continue reading to learn where you can drop off items, get free donation pick up, or find the best local charities.
We also have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved ones family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
Where Can I Donate Canned Food In San Jose
Top 10 Best food donation in San Jose, CASacred Heart Community Service. 0.6 mi. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. 1.8 mi. Milpitas Food Pantry. 6.5 mi. The Family Giving Tree. 7.9 mi. HopeTHRIFT. 1.7 mi. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Cypress Center. 7.6 mi. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. Sunnyvale Community Services.More items
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Can I Donate Toiletries To Food Bank
You can donate toiletries to most food banks but it’s worth checking on the local food bank website beforehand. The Trussell Trust recommends the following:
You can also donate household items, feminine hygiene products, and baby supplies too:
- Household items laundry liquid detergent, laundry powder, washing up liquid
- Feminine products sanitary towels and tampons
- Baby supplies nappies, baby wipes, and baby food
- Face masks and hand sanitiser
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Which Foods Can Be Donated
- Pre-packaged foods that are non-perishable and fresh, whole fruits and vegetables that have not been cut may be collected for donation and distribution without a permit.
- Certain foods that require time/temperature control for safety may be donated if both the donor and recipient are food permitted facilities and the food has been properly handled at an appropriate temperature. See Food Donation Guidelines for more details and information on which foods are not suitable for donation.
How To Donate To A Food Bank
With the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, food banks are being relied upon more than ever before. If you’re wondering how to help, here’s everything you need to know about food bank donations.
Food banks work with support from the public, who donate non-perishable food at a range of places such as schools, churches, and local businesses, as well as supermarket collection points. Then volunteers sort the produce into emergency food parcels to give to people in need. A large majority of food banks also provide extra services alongside the emergency food parcels, such as toiletries, sanitary products, and baby basics.
According to recent stats published by The Trussel Trust , 95% of people referred to food banks in early 2020 were unable to afford to eat or stay warm and dry. As well as 18% of households referred to food banks were single parents – more than twice the rate in the general population. Trussel Trust added “We know that extremely low income is a key factor driving people to food banks.” Therefore donating to a food bank is needed now more than ever.
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How To Start A Pet Food Donation Drive
There are a number of ways you can get involved in donating pet food to those in need. One way is to start your own pet food donation drive. This is a great way to get friends, family, and members of your community involved in giving back.
Here are a few tips on how to get started:
1. Choose a pet food bank or rescue group to donate to. Do some research to find an organization that aligns with your values and that you feel good about supporting.
2. Spread the word about your donation drive. Use social media, flyers, and word-of-mouth to let people know about your drive and how they can help.
3. Collect donations of pet food. Ask local businesses if they would be willing to donate items or gift cards that can be used to purchase pet food. You can also hold collection events at schools, churches, or community centers.
4. Deliver the donations to the chosen organization. Be sure to let them know how much food was collected and who organized the drive!
Police And Fire Departments
Police officers and firefighters often carry stuffed animals and other small toys with them to comfort children at the scenes of traumatic events, and their supply of toys sometimes depends on donations. Reach out to your local police and fire departments to see if theyre accepting donations right now. For an easy way to donate toys to this cause, give your items to Stuffed Animals for Emergencies . This organization accepts gently used stuffed animals, blankets, books, childrens clothes and baby items, and finds organizations in the area that can use the donations for youngsters in emotional situations.
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Why Arent Restaurants Donating More Food
Business owners need to worry about liability from all angles – slip and fall, working conditions, and food safety. With so many ongoing concerns, why would a business owner want to add another potential problem to their list of worries?
That being said, Nicole Civita, a professor and director of the Food Recovery Project with the University of Arkansas School of Law states there is no available public record of anyone in the United States being sued or having to pay damages because of harms related to donated food.
In fact, restaurants have legal protection when it comes to donating food. Businesses benefit from the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. As long as the donor does not act with negligence or intentional misconduct, the restaurant is not liable for damage incurred as the result of illness.
What Restaurants Donate Food
Where to donate food in NYC The Bowery Mission. Located at 227 Bowery, the mission accepts food donations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Camba’s Where You Can Food Drive. Hour Children Food Pantry. Part of the Solution. Project Hospitality. West Side Campaign Against Hunger. New York Common Pantry. City Harvest.
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How To Donate Nonperishable Food Step By Step:
- Step 1: Research what food bank institutions are near you to find where to donate food.
- Step 2: Find out which food items can be donated to that specific food bank.
- Step 3: Gather up all of the items that you wish to donate, being sure to stick to the guidelines on the products and provided by your selected food bank.
- Step 4: Once you have gathered the food, check to make sure no expiration dates have passed.
- Step 5: Check out the packaging on each of the items. Do not send in any rusty or heavily dented cans, boxes that have been crushed, or anything that leaks.
- Step 6: Take the food to the designated address during the appropriate time.
Donate Your Sweet Treats
You can also send your sweet treats to organizations that will donate them to others.
Treats for Troops has multiple candy drop-off locations in the Seattle area. Candy can also be shipped directly to Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops, 2895 N.E. Loop 410, Suite 107, San Antonio, Texas, 78218.
Operation Shoebox accepts individually wrapped candies to be sent to troops.
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Why Should You Donate To Local Food Banks
“Millions of vulnerable children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the closes schools nationwide,” Davis said at the beginning of the pandemic. “As of , 39 states had closed schools entirely. When you add in the districts closed in other states it means 41.6 million kids, or 4 out of 5 kids, are out of school.” Even in areas where the schools were still open, many businesses were closed, which meant hourly workers who may have already been struggling to make ends meet were hit hard.
Fortunately, as of July 2022, the health risks posed by the pandemic have lessened over time. However, Davis notes that the need and the financial impact has not abated. âFamilies still face ongoing challenges due to the strained supply chain, rising food and gas prices, and skyrocketing inflation,â she says. âToday, one in six kids face hunger in the U.S.â
According to a recent Feeding America food bank survey, 80 percent of food banks across the country reported an increase or steady demand for food. Food insecurity exists everywhere, says Zuani Villarreal, the senior director of communication for Feeding America. âIt could be your classmate it could be a co-worker it could be your neighbor a fellow church goer that needs help and I think the awareness of that issue should drive people to help,â she says. For this reason, donating to food banks is more important than ever.
Rescuing Food For Hungry Californians
Feeding hungry people with donations of extra food is an integral part of resource conservation. Organizations served by food rescue and food bank programs include community centers, soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, senior programs, and childcare centers.
- Food rescue means recovering healthy foods and making fast deliveries to those in need. This is the highest and best use for perishable food. The Fresno Metro Ministry Food Recovery project, which takes excess perishable food to hungry people, is an example.
- Food Finders is a community-based food rescue organization in Southern California, which serves as a conduit, between donors and people in need.
- Food rescue in Southern California also includes Waste Not OC Coalition which works to help meet the nutritional needs of the community by facilitating the donation and distribution of surplus food.
- Food banks are organizations that collect food from a variety of sources, and distribute it to hungry people through local service agencies. The California Association of Food Banks which has a membership of 43 food banks, is one of the leading organizations in California. Major programs include Farm to Family which works with growers and packers to provide fresh produce to banks.
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Find A Ontario Charity That Will Pick Up Your Clothing Donations & Other Household Items Donations
Donate clothes and other household items in Ontario. Charities such as Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more will pick up your donations for free.
Donationtown.org is currently integrating all of the Ontario donation pick up charities and service areas into our database. For now, we recommend you contact one of these great Ontario based charities to schedule a donation pick up:
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How To Find A Pet Food Donation Center Near You
If you have unwanted or unopened pet food, there are a few options for donation. Many pet stores, such as Petco and Petsmart, have food donation bins in the store. If there is not a food donation bin at your local pet store, you can contact your nearest animal shelter to see if they accept donations of pet food. You can also look online for pet food pantries in your area.
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Are Canned Food Donations Tax Deductible
The short answer is yes. However, there are some rules you must follow to write off the value of your canned food donation on your tax return. The first thing youll want to confirm is that the place youre donating to is a tax-exempt organization. The IRS has a list of organizations on its website, which you can access using the Exempt Organization Search Tool.
You should be aware that not all tax-exempt non-profits will appear on the list. For example, any non-profit that is already tax-exempt will have an application on file. This includes churches, mosques, synagogues, and government agencies.
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
According to this food banks website, 20% of Los Angelenos face food insecurity, and this organization is on a mission to reduce that number to 0. The food bank has temporarily paused on canned food donations from individuals, but theyve provided a list of local Los Angeles-area partners that are currently accepting donations.
To find the best food bank to donate food near you, head on over to this directory. Enter your location and select a radius of up to 15 miles.
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Places To Donate Food
There are food recipient organizations across the country. The following sites offer tools to help donors find nearby food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that may accept wholesome, excess food.
- Feeding America is a national network of food banks, individuals, national offices, and corporate and government partners working to combat hunger in the U.S. Use the Find Your Local Food Bank tool to locate food programs by state or zip code.
- Ample Harvest is a nationwide effort to educate, enable, and encourage gardeners to donate extra produce to local food pantries. Use their Find a Pantry tool to donate food you grow or buy.
- The Homeless Shelter Directory is a crowdsourced listing for people who want to find and donate food and/or supplies to their local shelter.
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What To Donate To A Food Bank And What To Avoid
So, youre ready to donate food to your local food bank. Thats great! Whether youre starting a food drive or just planning to grab a few extra items for donation while out grocery shopping, there are a couple of things you should know about what you can donate and what food banks wont accept.
What food you CAN donate to your local food bank:
This part is pretty easy. Food banks accept dry and canned food donations. What does that mean? Basically, any food that is shelf-stable or nonperishable you can keep it in your pantry and it wont go bad. And remember, only donate food that hasnt reached its sell-by date yet. Specifically, food banks often need items like:
Thats definitely not an exhaustive list but it covers a lot of what food banks regularly need. Additionally, some food banks accept personal care and household items, since many families struggle to afford these items and they arent covered by other food assistance programs like SNAP.
If youre still stumped about what to donate, just look in your own pantry. Families struggling with hunger often cant afford the staples that we normally have stocked at home. So, check your pantry out and go from there. Even specialty foods like olive oil, dressings, or marinades can be helpful if they dont need to be refrigerated.
What not to donate to a food bank
Where can I donate food near me?
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Is It Better To Throw Food Away Or Use Garbage Disposal
The Verdict: Toss It In the Trash While neither disposal option is ideal, a vast amount of water is needed to process wastewater. Plus, waste removed from the water is often trucked to a landfill anyway, making garbage disposals a longer, more expensive route for food scraps than dumping them in the trash can.Dec 1, 2015
How Do Food Banks Work
Food banks normally work with support from the public, who donate non-perishable food at a range of places such as schools , churches and local businesses, as well as supermarket collection points . Then volunteers sort the produce into emergency food parcels to give to people in need. A large majority of food banks also provide extra services
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What Types Of Pet Food Can Be Donated
There are many types of pet food that can be donated to your local animal shelter. The most common type of pet food donated is unopened cans or bags of dog or cat food. Other types of pet food that can be donated include:
-Canned or dry food for puppies, kittens, or senior dogs and cats-Canned or dry food for small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc.-Canned or dry food for birds-Specialty pet foods such as those for pets with allergies or other medical conditions
Anyone Can Be A Food Donor
Anyone can donate food, including farmers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, cruise ships, and households, just to name a few.
- EPAs Excess Food Opportunities Map is an interactive tool that displays the locations of nearly 1.2 million potential industrial, commercial and institutional excess food generators and more than 4,000 potential recipients of excess food including anaerobic digestion facilities, composting facilities, and food banks.
- Gleaning is the collection of excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers markets, and other sources to provide it to those in need. Typically, volunteers partner with a farm to glean excess fresh produce and deliver it to a food bank or food pantry. Learn how to develop a successful gleaning program with this USDA toolkit .
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