Everything must go somewhere, especially the old items we no longer use piling up at home! Those toys and clothes your kids have outgrown, baby bottles that are not being used anymore, and even supplies you might have forgotten about can actually “spark joy” for someone else who needs them more or can even be recycled into something more useful. So, why not start on some Christmas cleaning by setting aside those items you don’t need anymore? Give your pre-loved items a new home by donating them to the places below!
Have your children already outgrown their clothes? If you don’t have relatives or friends to hand them down to, international clothing brands have started recycling and donation initiatives that can put your old clothes to better use.
H&M‘s Garment Collection Program involves reusing old textiles by turning them into new products for their own brand and for other industries. And clothing that can still be worn again are sold worldwide as secondhand items. Just pay a visit to your nearest H&M branch and approach any member of the staff to donate your old clothes!
Uniqlo also accepts any of your old clothes and gives them away to refugees and disaster victims around the world. You can drop-off your donation at any Uniqlo branch to give your pre-loved clothes a new home!
There are several local charitable organizations that accept donations in-kind for the less fortunate. We always have too much of something, so instead of throwing them away, check out these organizations and share what you have!
Caritas Manila’s Segunda Mana program is a social-enterprise which changes old items like clothing, appliances, and furniture into cash to support their development programs for the poor. Items you donate will help fund families in Payatas, as well as scholarships for underprivileged youth. You can find Segunda Mana stores in Marymart Center, Ilo-ilo City, Fairview Terraces, and Riverbanks Center. And to donate, you may fill out the form on the Caritas Manila website or head on over to their site or Facebook page for more details.
For any of you moms with old feminine items like bras/ sports bras lying around, you can donate them to I Support the Girls, an organization that provides essential items such as bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products for homeless and abused women in the Philippines and globally. As women, we know how tough it is to take care of our bodies. But just imagine how much more difficult that becomes when you don’t have the means to do so. Help out women in need by visiting the I Support the Girls Facebook page or send them an email to info@isupportthegirls.org to learn more about how you can help.
Do you have old children’s toys and books in storage or used textbooks from your kids’ earlier years at school? Then you might want to donate them to these organizations for kids!
Little Free Library Philippines is a volunteer organization which aims to spread the magic of reading throughout the country to boost literacy by setting up Little Free Libraries in public schools and far-flung areas. These Little Free Libraries look exactly like what they’re called! Small wooden houses filled with books which kids can easily borrow. Share the love of reading and knowledge by donating your kids’ old books. Check out their Facebook page to find out more about how you can donate.
You can also donate old textbooks, notebooks, and other school supplies to the Dynamic Teen Company for their pushcart classroom initiative, an effort to teach and educate underprivileged kids by setting up classrooms outside their homes or along the streets using a pushcart. Visit the Dynamic Teen Company website to know more about how you can help!
If you have toys your kids don’t play with anymore, Childhope Philippines Foundation will gladly accept pre-loved toys and even clothes to pass on to their beneficiaries. The foundation can also resell your donations-in-kind to help support their various programs to educate and protect street kids in Manila. You may contact Childhope Philippines by sending them a message on their Facebook page.
The old baby bottles, clothes, blankets and toys that you have piling up at home can be put to better use by children in orphanages, while any of the linens, pillows, household materials, and the like that you no longer use can be given to those in elderly homes.
Some orphanages in the Philippines include:
- CRIBS Foundation (280 6696 or cribsfoundation@yahoo.com)
- Gentle Hands, Inc. (+632-913-5540)
- Angel House Orphanage Philippines (0938-992-6933)
- Precious Heritage Children’s Home (+632-87368086, +639-989717176)
There are also quite a few elderly homes for the abandoned and homeless like:
- Kanlungan ni Maria ( (02) 650-8102)
- Anawim (contact@anawim.com.ph)
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Home for the Elderly ( (632)-8329689, (632)-8322915, infolspslr@@gmail.com)
You may find their contact forms and details on their respective websites or Facebook pages. And finding out about other orphanages and elderly homes in your area can be as easy as a Google search!
Pay a visit to your local parish or to the churches near you and see if they are currently accepting donations. You could even ask the parish office or administrators about any of their outreach programs and what items they need for their beneficiaries. Because its the Christmas season, churches will surely be having donation programs or gift giving drives that will need your help!
Old items that have served you well in the past can now find a new home and be a source of happiness to people who need them more today. So go ahead and check out the places we mentioned above to lend a helping hand!
