Moving out, giving back, going forward!

Hello do-gooders!

I apologize for the lengthy delay in this new post.  I have been in the midst of a transition as I have relocated from the Hartford area to the New Haven area.  It was a big move for us, especially because we were moving from a bigger apartment into a smaller apartment.  Moving is no fun, ever.  It's just awful and time-consuming and we moved ourselves so it involved a lot of elbow grease as well.

We also were in the position of having a lot of excess furniture and other household items that wouldn't fit in our new apartment.  In light of our moving and shedding excess, I cleaned out my closet to see what I hadn't worn in a while and had several bags full of clothes, shoes and accessories that I didn't need anymore.

The question, of course, became, what do we do with this stuff?  Donate it of course!!  The next question became, where?  I'll tell you!

One of my favorite organizations in Hartford, the South Park Inn, ended up taking every single donated item we had to give for their transitional housing program and they made it easy to do.  We just called, told them what we had to donate and then dropped it off!  If you'd like to donate to South Park Inn, please call first to ensure that they have space for your donation.  The number is 860-724-0071!.

Now that I'm down in New Haven, I will be updating with local giving more oriented to the city I live in.  Here are some wonderful furniture donation centers where your old stuff can make a big difference to someone else:

The Furniture Co-Op at New Haven Home Recovery
30 Morriss Ave
West Haven, CT
T/R 10-6:00 or by appointment (Summer hours, increased hours starting in the fall)

The Furniture Co-Op partners with local organizations that pre-screen individuals so that your donation will help someone truly in need.  The individuals that benefit from Co-Op furniture are those transitioning from homelessness, those with disabilities and those with other insufferable hardships who need a hand.

To inquire about furniture donation, call 203-492-4866 x 13.

Helping Hands Community Thirft Store and Furniture Bank
1593 State Street
New Haven, CT
M, T, W, F 9:30-5:30
R 9:30-7:30
SA 9:30-5:00
SU 10-4

Helping Hands' furniture bank is available to clients of partnering social service and non-profit agencies.  The furniture is available to those transitioning from homelessness, those with HIV, low income senior citizens, victims of domestic violence and other needy people.  Plus Helping Hands has now partnered with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) to help refugees starting a new life here with their furniture needs.

Pick up of furniture is free in the Greater New Haven area!  Pick up is available for a reasonable fee outside of the Greater New Haven area.  To arrange pick up, call Allen Klein at 203-214-3038.  Otherwise drop off is available at any of their four drop-off centers, click here for the addresses.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army will pick up your clothes, furniture or household items for free!  There are also a lot of convenient drop-off bins.  For information on pick ups, call 1-800-SA-TRUCK (800-728-7825).

Happy donating and easy moving!

xo Jessica

UPDATE:  One commenter noted that Salvation Army has lengthy delays in booking times for pick up and should be used for those who know well in advance that they will be donating.  Just something to note and thank you to my commenter who pointed this out!