Neatly bag or box your clean clothes before you donate them.
You've cleaned out the closets, and now you've got a huge pile of clothing sitting on the bed. If you don't have a friend or relative to pass your hand-me-downs to, any number of charities in Boston will be happy to take the clothes off your hands. With a little time spend on research, those garments will go to a good cause and you'll receive a tax write-off -- a win-win situation for both the charity and you.
Instructions
1. Organize the clothes you want to donate. Separate them into piles; men's, women's and children's clothes; work and casual dress. Decide if you want to simply donate everything to one group or divide the garments among several agencies.
2. Inspect the clothes for wear and tear. Like other charities, most Boston-area organizations accept only gently used clothing in good condition. If you can't wear a garment because it has a hole or tear in it, neither can the recipient.
3. Research charitable organizations in the Boston area that accept clothing donations. Ask friends where they've donated clothing. Contact your church or synagogue to see if staff there are aware of any organizations with pressing needs for clothes. In addition to national organizations with Boston branches, such as the Salvation Army and Morgan Memorial Goodwill, a number of local groups accept "in-kind" donations. For example, Rosie's Place in the Roslindale area of Boston is a women's shelter in need of women's and children's clothing. St. Francis House accepts both men's and women's clothes. Solutions at Work, across the river in Cambridge, collects business attire for people needing appropriate dress for job interview or court appearances.
4. Visit the website of the organization you select. Most charitable organizations have information about and links for making donations. Call to find out if the group is accepting donations; if so, schedule a pickup time, either while on the phone or through the website. In either case, be sure to indicate where the items will be left in the event you are away from home at the time scheduled. If the charity does not pick up donations, find out where and when you may drop off your clothing.
5. Bag or box all items for pickup, label them and place them in the designated area on the day scheduled, or bring them to the organization or its designated drop-off area.
Tags: charitable organizations, organizations with, women children
