Clothes Donation

Thanks for this info.

I was cleaning out the closets and wondering where to send this stuff.

Agree with #1. Thank you very much for this info. I am one of the ones that does not really have a way to get to a goodwill etc. with all the clothes, and have had no luck finding anything in this neighborhood where I could donate AND receive a charity receipt. If there are places in the area, they are certainly not making themselves known very well.

A few weeks ago actually, I dumped a lot of stuff right down the trash chute because it had to go, and I did not know where to turn.

Sadly, due to my lack of fashion sense and acute dislike of clothes shopping, I wear my old clothes until they’re falling apart and are no longer suitable for donation. Think tattered khaki pants with badly frayed bottoms, like an intern half my age would wear. When I finally replace them, the old ones can only be cut up as rags.
My wife brings her old clothes to Martha’s Table.

Happy to help, and perhaps I should mention these are the places Street Sense thought might take clothes:

The best one probably is Martha’s Table (www.marthastable.org) at 14th and V streets. Or you could try Community Family Life Service (www.cfls-dc.org) at 3rd and E streets, though I think they take mainly women’s and children’s clothing. Also the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (wwww.nyapc.org) at 13th and New York takes clothing donations.

I didn’t include these in the post b/c it’s still not as easy as a box, that you then call & get a tax receipt.

There is also a women’s shelter on 5th Street in the church across from Irish Channel. However, I once made the mistake of going to drop off clothes, and was reprimanded and told to call next time for a pick-up; I think this is odd considering I am one person with not tons of stuff to give away.

Anyway, thanks for the info- I have been giving clothes away all year b/c I moved. How long after can you call for a receipt?

I am working with to establish the first Penn Quarter Yard Sale sometime in April. I need volunteers to help: the plan will be to use the MLK library (outside), and rent tables to anyone in the hood for $10. The event will be publicized via the BID, PQNA and many others (plus my contacts at the Post.) Could be a fun event — and a great way to get rid of that stuff laying around. If interested in helping, email me at jon@dcshorts.com

#5: You can call anytime, the number just goes to a recording where you leave your name & address (or to report a bin that needs to be emptied). About a week or so later, you get a tax receipt in the mail.

I’ve been using these bins for years now, with no problem exept that sometimes the voicemail box is full and you have to wait a few weeks to make your call.

i cant say for sure that they still do it.. but the lingerie store in PQ Coup de Foudre used to accept donations for
Dress For Success..
xoxo

I have also donated clothes at the CCNV homeless shelter at 2nd & E – not exactly Penn Quarter, but close.

Its a little intimidating the first time you go in there – its a large facility with about 1,000 beds and not that well maintained – but they do accept donations and have never chastised me for dropping off. The only downside is that people there tend to hang out on the front steps trying to skim off the “good stuff” before you get inside to drop it off.

It bothered me the first time, but I just say “Thanks I am going to drop it off inside” and they don’t bother anymore.

#9, I’ve had that happen at the donation box at 17th & Mass a few times too. I’ve also been at the boxes at 18th & CA st when the van was there to empty the boxes. That’s always the best, because they give you a receipt on the spot.

At 555, we have a box at the front desk where we can drop off clothes. When it is full, the Salvation Army is called for a pickup at the condo.

#6: Great idea!

Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve had a bag of clothes in my apartment for the better part of 6 months, just waiting until I could figure out a place to donate. In other parts of the city, the grocery stores and schools have these bins, but since moving to the area, I haven’t been able to find one. THANK YOU!

#11, that is a great idea. Does the Salvation Army proive you with donation receipts when they pick up?

For the front desk box at 555, the Salvation Army does not provide a receipt (since we do this as a periodic group pickup). That box is clothes-only. One of my neighbors at 555 kindly offered a trip to the Sally in her car a few weeks ago for folks with other items that also wished to receive receipts. Sally will also come out to pick up large items like furniture. I know a few of our hard working cleaning staff have gotten some items from the Sally box (which I am fully supportive of) before it was picked up.

Whatever you do, DON’T put your old clothing in those green “Planet Aid” dumpsters. They’re run by a shell company that sells the clothes for a profit, those profits going to overseas scammers who’ve been convicted of tax evasion and fraud. There’s evidence that the organization behind Planet Aid is also a cult.

#16, you had me worried I was going to have to file an amended return. I’ve used one of those Planet Aid boxes in the past. While they may be bad people (I have no idea one way or the other), they are still listed as a organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions by the IRS.

The Gospel Rescue Ministries on 5th Street between H and I accepts old clothes as well. They’ll even give you a receipt for tax purposes. That’s where I take all of my old clothes.

Also good is the Gospel House on 5th St between H and Mass. They provide receipts too and are very friendly.

Columbo – You are also aware that the Church of Scientology is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions? In the struggle between my conscious and the IRS, I’m going to have to go with the former.

#20, what you have something against Tom Cruise? Hey I used to live in Clearwater!

What good timing– I’m moving close to 18th and California, and while I was packing I put together a big bag of clothes to donate.

Weirdly enough, when I clicked on the link to Unity Health Care’s website I was surprised to see the address of the building I work in– they’ve been doing construction on a different floor, and I guess these guys will be moving in there soon. I wonder if I can go directly there to drop off donations. Anyone know?

This was great. I usually go to Goodwill in Arlington. I always wondered how one gets a receipt form dropping things in the boxes.

http://www.districtchatter.com

We are the people who operate the bins. My name is Moses Robbins, you can reach me at 703-912-9797 for tax receipts and information.

After we collect and sort, we distribute to mostly local charities, the specific clothes they need on a regular schedule. We supply Christ House on Columbia Rd. near 18th, Unity Health Care on 14th and Columbia Rd.,two Arlington County Homeless Programs and two Community Ministries of Montgomery Co. programs. We also supply the Armed Services YMCA at Camp Lejuene N.C. with every thing from baby clothes to ball gowns.

I started this enterprise in 1999 after retiring from 27 years in the young women’s clothing business. One thing I learned was that we buy more than we consume.The problem for charities is not getting stuff, but getting what they need and not a lot of unusable material. That is why it is hard to find a place to take it.

Again, feel free to call for further information or tax receipts. Unfortunately #16 Monkeyrotica is correct, they are a cult. Look up “Tvind” for more than you want to know.

#24, thanks for posting. What would it take to get one (or more) of these bins in the Penn Quarter neighborhood? Just a place to put one, or is there more to it than that?

Thank again for posting this info!

Another Unity Health Care bin is on the Georgetown campus, right near where the shuttle bus from Dupont Circle drops off passengers. I know this might not be as convenient for a lot of readers, but since all of my doctors are at the university’s hospital, I find it very easy to drop a bag off before an appointment!

a belated reply to #25-We would like very much to place a bin in Penn Quarter. It can not legally be on public space. What we need is permission from a landlord or management co. to place the bin. We supply insurance and are committed to frequent service. Anyone with suggestions please contact me at recloth@gmail.com. Thank you, Moses Robbins