This is a discount coupon I received after making a donation to Value Village Thrift Store recently. A retired friend works there and said they were having a Spring Drive for donations. We were able to give 3 large bags of mostly old VHS videos and children's books. It earned us a 15% discount card at their store. I was tempted to buy a heavy bottomed saucepan and a tiny bundt baking tin but decided it could wait for another time!
Another friend told me I shouldn't donate there because they are a private for profit corporation. Thus, it would be better to donate to places like The Salvation Army who do so much more with the money. That is true enough, but I wanted to support my friend and most places won't take old VHS videos anyway. There is usually a limit on how many books the usual charity places will accept as well. Value Village is good in that your goods end up being recycled and there is a certain benefit to the charities even if they do turn a profit. Not to mention I have lots of other stuff I could donate to the charities if I ever get around to the necessary decluttering!
As a matter of fact, we have a bunch of old VHS tapes stored somewhere... a lot of them.
ReplyDeleteIt's always good to support places that recycle. Have a nice weekend, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteSalvation Army's money is often not used for charity. It's technically a church with evangleical motives, not a charity. Though I will say they do better with their funds than Goodwill who has a CEO who makes figures similar to big box stores.
ReplyDeleteGoodwill here just went bankrupt.
DeleteThe Salvation Army is a Christian charitable choice that allots store profits to one of its many services, including homeless and women's shelters, palliative care hospitals, camps, disaster relief and more. Families in need get free vouchers to their thrift stores.
ReplyDeleteI thnk as long as it doesn't go to the landfill!
Value Village is a for-profit business, although it does buy second-hand clothes in bulk from charitable orgs such as the Canadian Diabetes Association - you know, the ones that call your home for clothing donations. VV says over the last 10 years it's purchased $1 billion worth of clothing from 140 such charities.
Many of the stores like VV, send their clothes overseas.
Jenn thanks for this great info.
DeleteYou passed on the cooking and bakeware? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, say it isn't so, Christine. Say it isn't so.
ReplyDeleteIvy I am regretting this as we speak...hopefully I will learn next time.
DeleteI'm often tempted by those same kind ofitems when at such a place but I too resist. ...then later, wish I had got it, going back and forth, etc. :)
DeleteA lot of people seem to be truly de-cluttering lately, no doubt from MArie Kondo's marvelous book, so keep at it, Christine. Don't feel over daunted, jsut keep giving stuff away and I promise, you will feel lighter form it and better. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael!
DeleteThat's wonderful that you were able to declutter and make a donation at the same time! I definitely have to return to trying to declutter, thanks for reminding me...
ReplyDeleteI think that as long as you're donating your items (as opposed to throwing them in the trash) you're doing a good deed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy!
DeleteIt's a nice feeling to donate items. I've been doing it as far back as I remember. I prefer items to be recycled than end up in the landfills.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to donate to charity because others can make use of stuff that you no longer use.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what charity to give to, so I give my junk to someone who in turn hands it to charities. Other things go in the trash. I've been decluttering a lot lately.
ReplyDelete