Comments (0) | |

Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

Donating to charities easy in U.K.

I have always been a fan of cleaning out excess, which is why I am so in love with donation bags that always seem to be delivered to my doorstep just when I need them most.

Charities from throughout the U.K. make it easy to donate all sorts of items without ever leaving home.

Carriers drop off a large plastic bag through your mail slot and ask you to fill it up with unwanted items of various types and place it outside your home on a certain day the next week, when they send another carrier to pick it up.

As a mom of two growing boys who are constantly growing out of clothes and toys being able to stick items they’ve outgrown into a bag and right outside my front door and know they are going to a good cause is part of the recipe for a happy mom.

I’ve always tried to donate our old clothes, toys and baby items to local charities, but I must say it is super easy here with a reminder service, the trusty plastic bag and a pickup service.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I made my way to Goodwill drop-off points in Warner Robins during my lunch break or on weekends to donate unneeded items.

Though I didn’t really mind the drop-off line, I am enamored with the British charities and their front-door service.

Don’t get me wrong: Goodwill has picked up old furniture and other big ticket items for me, but could you imagine them stopping by for a garbage bag full of used clothes?

More importantly, if you don’t have anything to donate, just simply leave your unfilled bag by the door and they will pick it up and reuse it elsewhere.

In all honesty, I think every family has something they need to purge, but getting the motivation to clean out and drop off those items is a big order after a long day of work or duties at home, which is why I think the way charities solicit donations here is so smart.

Every time a bag is delivered to my doorstep, I feel the need to fill it with something, rather than throw it out on the driveway empty, so it works as a great motivator for me to clear out something and gets them more donations for their charity.

Better yet, different charities ask for different items, which means one week the charity calling might want used clothes, the next week they might want used towels and the next used toys, which gives you lots of chances to clear out different areas of the house without ever leaving your doorstep.

Amanda Creel, who was a staff writer at the Robins Rev-Up newspaper on Robins Air Force Base, is married to Staff Sgt. Justin Creel, stationed at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Contact her at acreel@macon.com.