The holiday season brings many opportunities to give back to those in need. When trying to organize your home before guests arrive, use this chance to donate some of your unwanted things. After all, it’s a season of giving and there are plenty of ways your stuff can go to use again.
Any one of the charities below are a great place to give away your unwanted items! It can be difficult getting rid of things that you’ve held onto for a long time, but it makes it much easier when you know that it’s going to a good cause. If you have a number of small and large items to give away and don’t have a vehicle to haul it to a donation center, consider contracting a hauling service, such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Orange County that will donate your things before sending to a landfill. Although a paid service, it will save you the inconvenience of heavy lifting and driving to multiple donation centers.
Need help deciding what should stay or what should go? Let Marla, Professional Organizer, at i DEAL Lifestyle help you! You can Learn more about her decluttering techniques here.
From clothes to furniture, construction materials to knick-knacks, there’s a number of national and independent charity shops in Orange County. Use this guide to find out where your stuff can best be put to good use at.
Santa Ana ReStore – Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
Habitat for Humanity has a sterling reputation as a charity that gives back to the community and can be trusted to do more with the funds they raise. The Habitat ReStore’s in orange county, a home improvement store by Habitat for Humanity, does that in some fairly clever ways.
Being a home goods store, ReStore can accept just about anything for donation. From furniture and appliances to doors and windows! It’s a great place to donate stuff when you’re remodeling or just clearing out unused items. People can then have access to home materials at a fraction of the retail price.
The wonderful thing about ReStores is that all the proceeds go towards Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, impacting the local community by helping homeowners build and upkeep affordable housing.
OC Goodwill Boutique
Located conveniently in downtown San Juan Capistrano, the OC Goodwill Boutique is a great place to donate smaller goods such as clothes and little knick-knacks that are lying about the house.
The drop-off door (located in the back of the store) is easily accessible and the staff is always super helpful and thankful for your donations!
Goodwill specializes in helping those with disabilities and other barriers to independence, and almost 92 percent of every dollar they raise goes towards their programs and services that help with that. It’s a fantastic charity and a great little treasure in Orange County.
Charity’s Closet
This tiny little shop is a hidden gem tucked away in Placentia. They typically accept like-new clothing and knick knacks, which means you can also find some awesome treasures hidden within.
The proceeds from Charity’s Closet go towards funding H.I.S. House, a transitional living association assisting those who have been made homeless get back on their feet.
This is a great place to send any new or gently used items if you want to make sure they go to a good home, or just that their value isn’t wasted.
The Assistance League of Orange has many locations throughout orange county. Go to The Assistance League of Orange to find one near you. The Assistance League is your best choice to donate old uniforms as your kids outgrow them. Their friendly staff love helping children and low income families with uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, and more!
Instead of affiliating with any one charity, The Assistance League of Orange use their position to help out low-income families in Orange County and donate the rest of the proceeds to various local charities.
Once you visit this place, you’ll know your donations are going to good use. The clothes are being given to the people who need them most and the funds raised are assisting those in need in our own community.
The Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center
The Salvation Army has become a staple of American holiday culture in the past several decades. It’s gotten to the point where it’s difficult to imagine Christmas without thinking of some volunteer bravely facing the cold to ring a bell and advocate for donations for those in need.
Being such a large entity, in some cases they will utilize their network of trucks and volunteers to come to your home and pick up large donations. The Salvation Army will accept just about anything that’s in good condition and can be reused.
Located in Orange, their friendly staff make both buying and donating an enjoyable experience. Each donation made is tracked to make sure the donations and funds raised are go to places in need the most across America.
The American Cancer Discovery Thrift shops have two locations in Orange County. You can find high end furniture, home goods, and clothing at this boutique thrift shop. One shop is in Laguna Niguel and the other in Corona Del Mar.
Take the time this holiday season to shop, and help others out too.
