Ladies Home Journal magazine reveals how one of the best ways to get into the spirit of giving is to donate your unwanted belongings to help the less fortunate in this segment from The Today Show on NBC
Before you haul your random clutter to the dump, find out if theres a greener way to get rid of it. These organizations will take all that junk off your hands and recycle it or give it to those in need.
Handheld electronic gaming systems are one of the items most requested by troops stationed abroad. If you have one to donate, visit Games for Heroes (gamesforheroes.com); the group will send it to U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Home goods
Animal shelters are often desperate for donations of soft blankets, thick towels and linens to use in the animal cages. To find a shelter near you, visit
Pets911.com
Contribute your used furniture, such as beds, couches and dining-room tables, to your local chapter of the National Furniture Bank Association
nationalfurniturebank.org
The organization provides furniture to victims of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. It also helps families living below the poverty level and women and children who are starting over after fleeing violent homes.
Electronics
The World Computer Exchange is a nonprofit that aims to keep computers out of landfills by giving them to disadvantaged kids in more than 65 countries. Visit worldcomputer exchange.org
to learn how to donate your unwanted laptops and desktops.
To find local organizations that accept used computers, televisions, cell phones and empty ink cartridges (which can be refilled or recycled), visit
Earth911.com/electronics
Donate your old computers, printers and software to the National Cristina Foundation (cristina.org), which supplies electronics to charities across the country that support at-risk children, people with disabilities and the underprivileged.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ncadv.org) accepts used cell phones and gives them to women who might need one in an emer gency.
The Get-Well Gamers Foundation (getwellgamers.org) collects video-game systems and games and distributes them to a network of more than 40 childrens hospitals and treatment facilities across the country.
Clothing
Donate old suits, dresses, work-appropriate clothes and accessories to DressForSuccess.org, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women find and maintain employment. Clients receive one suit when they get an interview and are eligible for another after they land a job. Career Gear ( careergear.org) is a similar program that collects used mens clothes.
Visit DonateMyDress.org to find locations in your area where you can donate prom dresses and formal wear for underprivileged young women.
Brides Against Breast Cancer (bridesagainstbreastcancer.org) accepts wedding gowns, slips and veils and sells them at events across the country. All proceeds go to Making Memories.org, a foundation that grants final wishes to women who have terminal breast cancer.
You can donate worn-out fleece clothing to Patagonias Common Threads Garment Recycling program (patagonia.com). Drop them off at a local Patagonia store and theyll be recycled into new clothes.
The charity Soles4Souls (soles 4souls.org) was formed after the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004 in order to provide shoes to people who had lost everything in the storm. Today the nonprofit accepts gently used footwear and sends it to people in need here and around the world.
Sports equipment
At iLoveSchools.com, teachers post wish lists for items they need that are beyond their schools budget; many request sporting goods such as jump ropes, hula hoops and basketballs.
You can contribute just about any type of sports equipment—from tennis ball hoppers to old team uniforms — to SportsGift.org. The group uses your donations to create community sports programs for under privileged children worldwide.
Nikes Reuse-A-Shoe campaign collects all brands of used athletic shoes, which are recycled and turned into everything from basketball courts and running tracks to new athletic shoes and gear. To find drop-off locations, visit nikereuseashoe.com.
One World Running (oneworld running.blogspot.com) accepts gently used running sneakers and sends them to people in need. You can also visit RecycledRunners.com to find other organizations in your area that will benefit from your used sneakers. Donate gently used kids books to ProjectNightNight.org. The reading material will be added to the orga nizations Night Night tote bags — along with a secu rity blanket and stuffed animal — which are given to homeless children.
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Laptop Recycling and Reuse - InterConnectionby cbrennick885 views
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