As summer quickly approaches, many Lethbridge residents are looking to do some spring cleaning and donate their unused items.
“I wanted to find a place where they would actually use it there; not give it to a place where they would sell it,” said Cindy Giles, as she dropped off a box of clothes for donation.
Several organizations in Lethbridge accept donations, with some giving back to those in need at no charge.
“That’s what I wanted,” Giles said. “That somebody personally would take it for themselves and not worry about money.”
The Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre accepts clothing and personal hygiene products, donating them to their clients for free.
Streets Alive Mission and the YWCA Lethbridge & District work along the same premise and need the same donations, but there are other items on their list.
“We accept gently used clothing for women and children, and household items which are actually probably a greater need than the clothing, honestly,” said YWCA development and communications manager, Nancy Stuart.
“Gently used kitchen items, small, kind of counter top appliances, hygiene items, bags, suitcases, those kinds of things.”
If you’re looking to donate, be mindful of the season.
“Because we don’t have the facilities to store everything all the time, we do change out our clothing and that sort of things seasonally,” said Marie McLennan from Streets Alive Mission.
“So right now we’re looking for summer wear, for shorts, for reasonable tank tops, conservative tank tops for our ladies, that kind of stuff. Water is always a huge need this time of year, making sure we’ve got reusable-fillable water bottles.”
And if you’re looking to donate to Streets Alive Mission or the YWCA, it’s best to make sure they’re accepting items in advance.
“We have a banner on our website, and a pin post on our Facebook page and a sign we put out up front, that indicates whether we’re taking donations or not on any given day,” said Stuart.