Then there's the Salvation Army, which accepts various household goods, including bedspreads, blankets, curtains, pillows, towels and rugs. Pack up your items in a sturdy bag or box, and bring them to your nearest drop-off location or schedule a pick-up. The charity takes gently used blankets, sheets, bed covers, baby items and clothes. You can donate bedding and other textiles to the American Red Cross through its GreenDrop program. This includes donation centers, churches, homeless shelters, animal shelters, the American Textile Recycling Service and TerraCycle. Having said that, if you don't want your linens to end up in a landfill, there are a few routes you can take to recycle towels and donate bedding you no longer use. And unlike dropping off plastic bottles and cardboard, recycling textiles isn't always free. What you do with old bedding depends on the condition of the items and what recycling centers or charities are in your area. With limited funds and access to fabric stores, these senior organizations could benefit from a generous donation.Figuring out what to do with old sheets and where to donate towels isn't always straightforward. Sewing and quilting clubs are quite active in several elder homes and organizations. Senior Centers + Assisted Living Facilities Several quilters and sewists have told me that they’ve given sewing workshops in jails or collaborated with inmates to develop things for sale. A guild finder is available from the Modern Quilt Guild. Many guilds offer charity sewing clubs and members who can benefit from the cloth. Kids are encouraged to utilize their imaginations to create whatever they desire, while staff assists them in learning how to use new equipment. I’ve been to several children’s museums that have rooms with scrap wood, fabric, recycled cardboard and other supplies. (Take, for example, SCRAP in Portland.) Children’s Museums They have a store where you can purchase unique home and creative products, as well as classes and community education. Reuse/recycling centers can take contributions of almost anything in many communities. Volunteers make pet beds, blankets, and bandanas for dogs for some organizations. You might be able to connect with some of the volunteer quilters by emailing the organization. Quilts of Valor is a non-profit organization that provides quilts to servicemen and women who have been affected by war. There are chapters all around the United States. Quilts are made by Project Linus volunteers for critically ill children. Some churches have sewing clubs and volunteer for community projects, as well as holding group yard sales to earn funds for church initiatives and ministry groups. (I held a toy drive last year and received a big shipment of stuffed manatees from a Girl Scout troop!) Churches These youth organizations may be found all over the country and are frequently involved in service projects as well as acquiring home living skills. Collegesįashion design, painting, and theater are all excellent areas to begin. If the school offers a theater program and/or sewing lessons, they may be able to accept your larger fabric cuts. I’ve also donated to my daughters’ schools for use in art class. I once gave a preschool a large box of upholstery fabric swatches, which they used to develop cutting skills and create art. It’s possible that they don’t require it or are unable to receive it at this time. Organizations that Might Take Your Fabricīefore you show up with a big box of fabric, it’s important that you confirm with someone from the organization that they will be able to take it. Most of the groups who will take donations of fabric are not-for-profit and don’t have funds available to have the fabric shipped to them. They might or might not wish to include them in the fabric donation. Make sure the group knows if you have any other supplies, such as thread, needles, bias tape, tools, buttons, and so on. Is it small enough to fit in a shoebox, a truck bed, or someplace in between? Most groups are going to want to know about how much fabric they’ll be getting before they commit to taking it. What is the size of the cuts and how much fabric is there? You don’t have to be able to identify every component, but you should be able to give the group an idea of what they’re looking at. Some organizations, for example, may only be interested in quilting cotton, while others may prefer garment fabric. Many sewers will have a mixture, but you should endeavor to separate it. How much fabric is there and how big are the cuts? Is it garment fabric? Upholstery? Quilting cotton? Swimsuit fabric? And what about the fiber content? Is it 100% cotton? Polyester? Wool? Before you start calling or emailing groups to see whether they want it, try to get a sense of what’s there. Most of the emails I get say, “We have a lot of fabric,” but they don’t specify what kind. Before you call, assess what you have What kind of fabric is it?
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