For many of us, giving money to charity is an important part of our lives. We may donate just to be a good person and help others, or we might give because it can have benefits at tax time. Giving money to charity helps people in need, but you don’t just have to give money. There are also lots of places where you can donate things you don’t need anymore to help other people. Schools, youth centers, and other programs will often take craft supplies and art materials. Food banks all over the country accept food donations for the hungry. Of course, you can always volunteer your time to help people, too. Don’t overlook the need for books, musical instruments, or pet supplies. There are also programs that will take donated clothes or cars. You can even donate a wedding dress to help out a bride on her big day.
ArtStart Material Donations: ArtStart collects all kinds of art supplies for kids and adults. Many of the materials they gather are household items you may not think of as art supplies. But budding artists can turn even household scraps into artwork.
Donate Art Supplies to Materials for the Arts: You can donate art supplies to Materials for the Arts in person or by mail. In the New York City area, the group will even arrange pickup.
Scrap it Up: This unique take on a thrift store calls itself a “creative reuse center.” They take donations of most art supplies.
USDA Food Donations: The federal government encourages donations of excess food to reduce waste and feed people in need.
Feeding America: Feeding America can help you find a place to donate food. Simply enter your ZIP code or state.
Find a Pantry to Donate Food: Ample Harvest has a search engine of food banks that can take your donation. This can be a great way to find a nearby food program.
Food to Donate: If you work in food service, Food Donation Connection can help link you to a charity. Extra food or other donations can be directed to your local community.
Donate Food: Whether you want to donate food or host a food drive, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina can help you make the right connections.
Wish Upon a Wedding: For couples who are dealing with the long-term effects of a serious health issue, a wedding may seem out of reach. Wish Upon a Wedding makes those wedding dreams come true, and you can help.
Guide to Volunteering: Charity Navigator helps people to find charities that they can trust. This guide to volunteering can help you find great places to donate your time.
VolunteerMatch: This group can help match your skills and interests to the needs of your local community.
Find Volunteering Opportunities: The United Way’s list of opportunities can be easily searched and filtered. Find a local charity that needs your special skills today.
Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits: We all know that volunteers help charities and improve lives. We may not know that helping others brings us many benefits, too.
Reader to Reader: With millions of books donated, Reader to Reader is a big operation. Your donation could make it bigger.
Kids Need to Read: For kids who don’t have access to lots of books, this program can be a huge help.
Books for Africa: Access to books is one of the most important factors in developing literacy. This program brings books to kids in Africa who need them.
Books for Soldiers: U.S. soldiers serve all over the world, and having books to read in their free time can help them take a break from the stress of their jobs.
Donate Musical Instruments to Charity: Collectibles With Causes accepts donated musical instruments and other audio gear. They use these donations to help kids learn to play music.
Musical Instrument Donations: Making Music Matter for Kids takes donated musical instruments and fixes them up so they’re ready for kids to play.
Donate Instruments: If you have an old instrument that you no longer use, the Gift of Music Foundation would gladly put it into the hands of a music student.
Hungry for Music: This program has been around for more than 25 years and has given musical instruments to kids all over the U.S. and in dozens of other countries.
Donate to Our Wish List: Animal shelters like the Animal Humane Society will often post lists of needed items that you can give to help animals.
Donate a Car: Habitat for Humanity accepts donated vehicles. Besides cars and trucks, they also take motorcycles, RVs, boats, snowmobiles, and more.
Donate Your Car to DAV: If you want to donate a vehicle to disabled veterans, DAV can handle it.
Wheels for Wishes: With nationwide pickup, Wheels for Wishes is a convenient way to donate your vehicle. Donations benefit the Make-A-Wish program.
Donate a Car With Car Donation Wizard: This program makes it as easy as possible to donate your vehicle. You can even choose from a list of supported charities.
Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program: Sponsored by a long-running car advice radio show, this program is an easy way to donate to your local public radio station.
Donate Stuff: Goodwill accepts many kinds of donations, including clothing.
Dress for Success: With 89 locations, Dress for Success helps women find affordable business attire.
One Warm Coat: Whether you’re donating one coat or operating a coat drive, One Warm Coat can help.
Brides for Haiti Project: This fundraising program sells wedding dresses at affordable prices to raise money for Haitian communities.
Brides for a Cause: This group accepts wedding dresses up to five years old. They sell the donated dresses to support other charities.
St. Anthony’s Bridal: St. Anthony’s accepts wedding dresses of any age. They then donate the dresses to a worthy charity or sell them at affordable prices.
Brides Across America: From humble beginnings, Brides Across America has now given away more than 26,000 wedding gowns. They’ve also used donations to fund weddings.
Adorned in Grace: Adorned in Grace accepts wedding gowns up to five years old. They also take donations of mother-of-the-bride dresses, flower girl dresses, and accessories.
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