apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Materials For The Arts is a great place to donate, especially random "stuff". they love electronics (working and non) and construction materials, half-full cans of house paint, etc. they'll take just about any smaller household implements, furniture, bulk leftover supplies, etc. basically anything you have that you could ever conceive of getting rid of, short of actual garbage. they accept donations from both individuals and businesses, which are available to artists and educators throughout the city. they will do pickups, but only if you have a lot of stuff.

Salvation Army will pick up smaller quantities, at least in Brooklyn. I've had them come for a few bags of clothes and nothing more.

yes yes... Materials for the Arts would LOVE your stuff...
and their website is mfta.org. there's info there about pickups, etc.
I work with them and they are a terrific organization... and a vital resource to so many doing good work in this city.

nice work the opponax!

How about listing your stuff on Craig's list, in the "free" category? It seems there's always someone scouring those listings who wants your stuff enough to come and pick it up - especially if you post a photograph of it and describe it properly.

Freecycle -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freecyclenewyorkcity/

for books:

housing works' used book cafe on crosby street.

money goes to find housing for people w/hiv/aids who are homeless.

we donated using Materials for the Arts. If you have big stuff it works well, but the organizations coordinate pick up, so it might take some time for them to swing by...

Housing Works is a great cause, but I believe I read recently on their web site that they are no longer able to pay for cab rides. So I put my books in one of those rolling shopping cart things.

the vererans will send a truck if the items are in good condition and if one person can lift them. 800-775-vets

dont want to assume anything about anyone, but depending on your politics, the salvation army can be a no-no. they have strict policies against homosexuals and are very conservative. keep an eye out if that is something you dont want to support. i had donated to them for years, and was shocked when i realized their policies on such matters.
apologies to anyone who disagrees with me, just giving a heads up.

the new york public schools have picked up two pine bookshelves, an old and huge computer and a twin size futon chair/matters. thepencilbox.org , my experiences are all happy.

salvation army, ditto what allison said, plus they were gouged my floors when they picked up a fridge.

i had good experiences with housing works pick ups as well BUT hw only takes really top end stuff, while the city schools took college-era furniture with gratitude.

17 @17 Thrift Store picks up. They took two chairs and bags of clothes. They are at 17 West 17th street.

the opera thrift store on 23rd st will pick up clothes and books if you have at least 6 bags. i gave them a call a few months ago, and they're a good resource if you want someone to come by relatively quickly (about one week).

oh, also, they took away an armchair.

Angel Street thrift shop. Just picked up my entertainment center and two club chairs. Prompt, reliable, and they'll even do outer boroughs.

this just in . . . CR looking for your objets . . . google their website if you're curious

City Reliquary BAZAAR- Rummage Sale & BINGO:
August 12th & 13th
Gathering the Goods: July 21st through August 11th, 2006.
Sale Dates: August 12th & 13th, 10:00AM
Early Bird Entrance: 8:00 - 10:00 AM with $5.00 fee

Start bringing all the fascinating stuff that you love so much... you'll give it away ... to the City Reliquary for our
Seasonal Rummage Sale. We won't be accepting clothes, but we will be accepting most other things - records,
musical instruments, tools, appliances, furniture, antiques, collectibles... etcetera, etcetera. We'll be selling these
fabulous items at the Reliquary in a desperate but charming attempt to pay September's rent. You'll be gaining storage space, CR love and maybe even a tax deduction. Bring your donations to the City Reliquary at 370 Metropolitan Ave - open Thursdays and Fridays from 6-9pm and weekends from 12 - 8. Or call, 718.599.0134 (starting 8/2/6) to schedule a drop off or pick-up time.

You could also get some people in your building/neighborhood together to meet the minimum for pick-up. A friend organized with neighbors and now they have a monthly standing date with the Salvation Army.

I tend to do fairly small "mini-cure" purges of clothing, etc., so I just go over to the St. Francis Thrift Shop for two main reasons: I'm lazy and it's closer than the Salvation Army (or anything else) and I have at least a tad more of a comfort level with Catholic institutions than with the Salvation Army.

can someone please make it illegal to say "gently used"?

I will try MaterialforArts. I called yesterday and today the Salvation Army - I have a few large boxes tv set etc, that I would like to donate. They won't come to pick up and were rude... Never calling them again. So I will Materials for the Arts.

Check with your local library, many public libraries will accept book donations.

I'll second Materials for the Arts if you're in NYC. I organized a large office chair donation from my office to them and they were really lovely to work with.

I started seeing large colorful drop-off bins around my 'hood (Harlem/East Harlem) for clothing/shoes. Not sure which organization it belongs to, but they are very convenient for lazy folks like me, since I never have enough stuff to warrant a pick-up from charity organizations.

Try "Hour Children" in Long Island City. They are a wonderful organization.

try nyc.gov's stuff exchange.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/stuffex/html/home/home.shtml

It "offers a quick and simple way for NYC residents to search for places in their neighborhood and throughout the city where they can donate, sell, buy, rent, or repair different types of gently used goods."

you can search for organizations that will pick up stuff too.

if you live in brooklyn st marys is great, they pick up right from your doorstep. :)

718-529-6070

I second Freecycle. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. You sign up for your city's local group (free) and then simply send an e-mail offering it to members of that local Freecycle group. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure. Their main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.

It's a fantastic service, and I am constantly amazed by how eager people are to retrieve what I would otherwise throw out or donate to Salvation Army.

I'll second gemion. I live in Queens and they pick up from my doorstep as well.

Not sure about New York but in Philadelphia both Purple Heart and AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) pick up donations (not furniture though). You leave donations at night at your doorstep for a next day pick-up.

I had to clean out a small studio apartment for an ill relative in less than two weeks. (It was being used as an office so although fully furnished it did not have a ton of stuff). First, I sold as much as I could via Craigslist and flyers, then I freecycled the rest.

Freecycle was AWESOME, much better than trying to give the stuff away free on CL - really nice, appreciative people picked up the stuff within 3 days. But the majority of stuff was actually taken by people who already lived in the building At the end of the two weeks I had made around $600 and given away some larger pieces like a bed and coffee table to people who seemed really psyched to have them.

For books, you also might try the Strand; you could potentially get a little cash that way.

After reading this thread I got in touch with MFA to see if I could donate my Lexmark printer. The response was:

If your printer is not older than 4 years, works fine, has its cable and is ready to operate we would accept it as a donation. Pick-ups require 250 pounds of donation or $1000.00 in value. You may drop it off at the address below my signature any Monday, Wednesday or Friday between the hours of 9:00a and 3:00p.

So, apparently there are some restrictions to what they will accept. Hey, anyone want a printer?