Household Items:

Household items are in large demand. “It is a new year and a time for change,” says Boyd, with the Salvation Army. “If you are cleaning and are wondering what to do with the old, donate it to a person in need. It is a new year for people in the rehabilitation center as well, and they want to turn their lives around.”

Teter says Goodwill is composed of 99 percent material goods. “Material goods are what Goodwill is all about,” Teter says. Goodwill is composed of thrift stores and the household items is what makes it possible. This also helps people in need find work. Teter says 2,000 people are working inside of Goodwill and 30,000 people last year enrolled in their 10 career centers across the Valley, making a huge economic impact.

There are a number of ways to donate household items. Goodwill has 46 stores, 10 of which will pick up donations. A list of locations is on its Web site.

The Salvation Army has a similar process. Donations can be dropped in drop boxes or at any of the seven stores in the Valley, but Boyd says most call or arrange online to have items picked up for free. A list of locations are also listed on the Web site.

According to Teter and Boyd the household items held at highest demand seem to be clothing, furniture and blankets. Boyd says clothes and blankets are very important for Project Hope for the homeless. Teter goes on to say that women’s clothing tends to be in highest demand. He recommends Redesign on Scottsdale Road as a store worth looking at. “They have some really neat stuff,” he says. But anything is worth something to Goodwill. Only 50 percent of donations end up on store shelves, the rest appear in clearance and will be sold by the pound. “We will take anything,” Teter says. “Let us decide what is trash and usually almost nothing is. Each year we save so much from going to landfills. We’re not really interested in grass clippings but anything else we will take.”