THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE DONATING TO A THRIFT STORE

Whether you are decluttering for your move or spring cleaning your home, you should consider donating your unwanted items to a thrift store. They will take most of your clothing, home and furniture donations.

Before putting all your thrift donation items in the back of your car’s trunk, there are few things you need to know. Our team wants to share how your donations benefit the community and tips on making donations.

HOW YOUR ITEM DONATIONS HELP THE COMMUNITY

Thrift stores, like Thrift World, collect item donations in partnership with local charities and nonprofits. These organizations collect donations for us, and in return, we give them money. This money helps fund their many programs.

Some of the organizations that we work with are Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, Paralyzed Veterans of American Great Plains Chapter, Community Services League and Variety Children’s Charity of Greater Kansas City.

TIPS FOR MAKING DONATIONS TO A THRIFT STORE

Think about the condition of the items

Before you put an item into the donation box, think about its condition. One good rule of thumb when sorting donations is to consider if someone would want it. Would you give that item to someone you know?

If you said no, then it is probably a good idea to just recycle it. Some items that you should avoid donating to thrift stores are items that have stains, rips, tears, mold or missing pieces. Also, do not donate items that have been recalled or marked as unsafe.

Check to see what items thrift stores accept

Now that you have sorted out your best items, it is time to check to see which items your thrift store accepts. Not all thrift stores are the same. Some thrift stores only accept clothing, home decor, furniture, appliances or toys. To help your sorting process, here is a list of items that Thrift World currently accepts:

• All kinds of clothing

• Shoes and accessories

• Bedding

• Home decor

• Small appliances

• Kitchenware

• Sporting goods

• Books, CDs, VHS tapes and records

• Toys

• Electronics

• Small furniture that is in good condition

• Baby clothing and accessories

• Jewelry

• Hardware tools

• Non-reclining chairs

• Small TV chairs

• Tables/Chairs

Box and bag items

Next, it is time to pack your thrift donation items. To help make everyone’s life a little easier, thrift stores do ask you to pack items before donating them. The best way to pack items is in plastic bags or boxes.

By properly packing them, you help avoid items going missing, getting stained or breaking. If items are breakable, try to wrap them in newspaper or bubble wrap. You do not need to go out and buy these materials. Reuse those packing materials that came with all your online packages.

Take donations to a store, bin or schedule a donation pick-up

How you can donate items to a thrift store varies with each store. At Thrift World, we provide three different ways you can donate. The first one is in-store. You can bring your donations inside our store and find a donation bin.

The second way to donate is through a bin. We have multiple bins across the Greater Omaha, Council Bluffs and Kansas City area. When donating to a bin, we ask you to put all items into the bin.

Lastly, you can donate by scheduling a donation pick-up. These donations are free of charge. One of our drivers will come to your house to pick up the items. This service saves you the drive and benefits our partners.

NEED A PLACE TO DROP OFF YOUR THRIFT DONATION ITEMS?

Thrift World can help! We have donation bins across Omaha, Council Bluffs and Kansas City. If you cannot make it, you can always schedule a donation pick-up.