I’m trying to purge my house of “things”. My oldest daughter was recently diagnosed with multiple allergies, the most severe of which is, according to her blood test, caused by dust. Well, the fewer things we have, the fewer things for dust to cling to. Apparently though, we aren’t the only ones getting rid of things.
My pastor’s wife, a wonderful friend of mine, called and asked me to come over to her house to get some clothes for myself and my children. She said a woman in town had donated 18 big rubbermaid totes full of assorted clothing left over from a yard sale. The woman didn’t want the clothing to go to Goodwill where it would be sold. Instead, she wanted people to have it for free.
That really is a great idea. I know that when I’m getting rid of things, I usually try to think of someone to offer them to. If I can’t think of anyone, I take the items to Goodwill. Sometimes I even just throw things away, but those are things I deem pretty useless, so hopefully that’s not too incredibly wasteful.
I never bother to get a donation receipt from Goodwill, but I know that some people do for tax purposes. Donations to churches are tax-deductible, too.
I had never thought of donating my “things” to a church before, but this woman has definitely given me a different perspective. How many families are there that the church could help with used clothing? Could the church possibly use a slow cooker that I don’t have storage space for? Would they know of families that can’t afford toys for their children that they could give my children’s old toys to?
I think donating to a church is a much better idea than just taking things to Goodwill. It’s tax-deductible for you and free for the recipients of your “things”. A church really is like a family, a community of people caring for each other. They could give your unwanted “things” to others who aren’t even church members, possibly also giving them the opportunity to share the Gospel with others in the process.
Overall, I’d say donating to a church beats donating to Goodwill hands-down.
Article by Randi Millward
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