Donate Your Spring Cleaning Items to these 5 Local Charities

Spring in Ottawa means warmer weather, sunshine, birds chirping and tulips blooming. It’s also a time when we have the urge to clean out our home to get rid of items we no longer need or want. Instead of throwing these items away, donate your spring cleaning items to local charities who will re-use, recycle and re-purpose your castoffs for a good cause.

Donate Your Spring Cleaning Items to these 5 Local Charities

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Matthew House Ottawa: Furniture Bank  

Help make a house a home for a family in need by donating your gently-used furniture and household goods to Matthew House Ottawa: Furniture Bank. The charity provides furniture and household items, free of charge, to Ottawa’s marginalized population including refugees, those transitioning from half-way houses and shelters, along with others who have lost their possessions. The Furniture Bank helps an average of 50 individuals and families a month. Donation drop offs are accepted at 340 Legget Drive, Door #53 in Kanata or pick-ups can be scheduled with a minimal fee required based on item size and quantity.

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Ottawa Tool Library

Do you have household tools that are cluttering up the basement, garden shed or kitchen cupboards? Give them a second life by donating to the Ottawa Tool Library. It’s a lending library similar to a book library but with a focus on household tools.  Members borrow donated tools for home and community projects. Also offered are workshops and demo nights to help members build their skill level. Portable tool donations are accepted at 250 City Centre, Bay #216.

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Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa ReStore 

Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa (Habitat GO) operates non-profit home improvement ReStores that accept donations of new and gently-used home furnishings, appliances and other renovated materials to sell to the public at a discounted rate. Funds generated from the ReStores support the work of Habitat for Humanity and keep product out of the landfill. Habitat GO ReStores divert more than 600 tonnes of waste from our local landfills each year. There are three ReStores in Ottawa with the newest location opehttp://www.habitatgo.com/shop-at-restore/ning in April at 3 Iber Road in Stittsville. Donations can be dropped off at all stores. Larger items can be picked up for a small fee.

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Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association

We all have books collecting dust on our shelves. Let someone else enjoy these stories by donating your books to the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA). Donations of two small boxes or less of books in good condition can be dropped off at any branch of the Ottawa Public Library or at any FOPLA Bookstore during opening hours. To find out what kinds of books are accepted, see FOPLA’s guidelines. Each year, the charity raises more than $300,000 for the library’s programs and services. Check out FOPLA’s website too. It’s one of the best places in Ottawa to find great used books at a great price.

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The Salvation Army Ottawa

Donating to the Salvation Army is made easy with eight Thrift Stores in the Ottawa area. Each store has a Donor Welcome Centre that is open seven days a week. Donations can also be made at donation drop bins 24-hours-a-day. They are always in need of gently-used clothing, textiles, housewares, furniture, electronics and toys. Your donation helps support the Salvation Army’s programs, services and emergency relief efforts throughout the city. In 2016-17, the charity diverted over 73 million pounds of used clothing, household items and furniture from local landfills across Canada.

Before throwing out your items away, donate your spring cleaning items to local charities!

Barb

Barb Koppe is a mom who lives in Ottawa and volunteers at Matthew House Ottawa: Furniture Bank. You can follow her on Twitter.