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Donating Furniture? Charity Organizations that Will Pick Up Your Stuff

Goodwill-store

Sometimes, the simplest way to deal with moving furniture to a new location is to not move it at all. It can be nice to buy new furniture to adorn a new home — and hey, sometimes it even ends up costing more to have the long distance movers ship all of your old stuff. 

Whatever the case, donating furniture to charity is a great solution for offloading used household items, and there are numerous charities throughout the country that will gladly take your items off your hands. Many of them will even arrange to pick them up for you for free, and leave you with a donation receipt that you can claim on your taxes. So why wouldn’t you donate?

Here is a list of organizations near you that will accept your used furniture. Some of them offer free furniture pickup, and some don’t — so determine whether you need that service before deciding where to donate furniture.

Goodwill

Goodwill has become synonymous with “thrift store” for many with over a century of service to communities across the U.S. and Canada.  When you donate to Goodwill, the money that is raised goes directly towards their mission of providing job training, employment placement services, and community-based programs for individuals facing challenges in finding employment. 

What they will accept: Gently used home goods, clothing, furniture, books, toys, appliances, shoes, and more.

This charity helps: Disabled individuals, the elderly, and those with minimal education or job experience can receive job training and employment with Goodwill. This charity is more than a century old and has become a fixture in many communities as a resource for those who need steeply discounted goods. 

Schedule a pickup: Goodwill has numerous donation centers and thrift stores across the country, making it convenient to donate your items. There are more than 2,700 donation locations in North America, making Goodwill one of the largest charities that pick up donations for free. Use the Goodwill Locator on their website to find one near you, and call to determine if your location offers pickup.

Salvation Army

Salvation Army

With more than 7,000 locations in the United States, chances are pretty good there is one near you. Even if the center nearest to you doesn’t have a public storefront, it will still offer free furniture pickup. 

What they will accept: Almost anything, provided it is in good shape. Household goods, clothing, furniture, appliances, you name it — the Salvation Army near you can find your stuff a new home.

This charity helps: SA reaches out to recovering addicts, at-risk youth, the elderly, victims of human trafficking, and natural disaster victims. It also provides meals and gifts to families in need around the holidays.

Schedule a pickup: Visit the Salvation Army website, enter your zip code, and follow the scheduling process. You don’t even have to be home for the truck to remove your old furniture (and other stuff) as long as it is clearly marked!

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity

To support their widely-known homebuilding and renovation projects, Habitat for Humanity runs their ReStores. There they sell gently-used furniture, appliances, and building materials to the public. 

What they will accept: ReStores focus mostly on appliances, furniture, and building materials, but accepted materials vary across store locations. They do not accept clothing. 

This charity helps: Proceeds from sales go towards funding the building and repair of homes by the organization and its volunteers to help families in need get back on their feet. They offer disaster response, financial education, neighborhood revitalization, and home construction.

Schedule a pickup: ReStores do offer free furniture removal, but depending on the location nearest you, it is sometimes only once a week and sometimes more regularly. Visit the ReStore website to find a location near you, then call directly to determine if they offer pick up for your items.

Vietnam Veterans of America

The Vietnam Veterans of America organization’s mission is to ensure all U.S. military vets receive quality healthcare, financial readiness education, and support navigating claims. The charity operates thrift stores across the country to fund these efforts, and is another one of the national charities that will pick up furniture donations for free. 

What they will accept: Just about anything. Currently they are seeking donations of gently-used clothes for men, women, and children, but they will also take furniture, tools, appliances, even your old vehicle.

This charity helps: Veterans and their families can get assistance with health claims, PTSD/substance abuse, education, homelessness, mental health, unsolved POW/MIA cases, and more.

Schedule a pickup: Visit the VVA website to find an office near you and schedule a pickup. If you cannot be home the day of the pickup, you can move the item somewhere visible outside (weather permitting), and the driver will even leave you a donation receipt.

The Arc

A national organization advocating for and supporting individuals with disabilities, items donated to The Arc are used to support individuals’ independence and integrated living in the community. They have locations across the U.S., though not all of them are equipped to deal with the donation of physical items.

What they will accept: This varies widely by location. The national program will help organize logistics if you’d like to donate a car, but donating old furniture or other items is only available in some areas. Talk to your local representative to determine what they need.

This charity helps: The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by actively supporting their inclusion and participation in the community. They do this through employment services, criminal justice support, future planning, transportation support, and more.

Schedule a pickup: Visit The Arc’s website to locate and contact your nearest chapter to find out if they accept physical donations at this time. 

If it can’t be donated…

Sometimes, the opportunity to donate everything you’d like to get rid of just doesn’t present itself. If you can’t find appropriate charities that will pick up furniture donations, consider putting your used furniture up for sale on Craigslist, listing it on Facebook marketplace, or asking local community centers if they might find it useful. 

About the author

Ashley Hernandez