I have stuff from my parents' house, as my mother cleans out closets and presses her treasures on me. I have stuff from the move my husband is making at work, as his office cleans out and discards usable items. And now I have stuff from an elderly relative I'm helping to transition into a nursing home.
At this point, I'm a little overstuffed and dealing with the uncomfortable feeling of excess. I've tried to share the wealth, inviting family members to come and take -- please. But they already have enough stuff; and the younger ones are filling their new houses with newer or better stuff. (And who can blame them?)
Luckily, there are always people who need stuff. The trick is finding them in your local area:
- Community Action Agency of Delaware County (Pa.) operates a donations warehouse for people who are leaving shelters and rebuilding their lives in new apartments. CAA also helps victims of domestic abuse, fire, and other disasters by partnering with local social service agencies. The best news? They come pick up your stuff with their own truck.
- The Salvation Army also transforms donated goods into good deeds by selling them to fund its adult rehabilitation centers. You can schedule a pickup, depending on locale, by calling 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
- Freecycle uses the networking power of the Web to connect givers with takers, with only goods -- no money -- changing hands. The Freecycle Network is a grassroots, nonprofit movement to encourage the reuse of good stuff, keeping things out of landfills. It's easy to find Freecycle groups within your community, which makes pickups convenient.
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