Considering donating your stuff to charities this spring? Here’s a list of organizations in the GTA, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Milton where you can donate clothing for a good cause.
Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga serves Mississauga, Oakville, Milton, Burlington, Halton Hills and Georgetown. Habitat GTA serves Brampton, Caledon, Toronto, Scarborough and the Region of York. Habitat Durham serves Ajax, Oshawa and Uxbridge.
Throughout these three affiliates, Habitat has 17 ReStores which accept donations of a variety of items, and many have free pickup services as well. All three make it easy for you to donate appliances, furniture, kitchens, cupboards, tools, windows doors, flooring, electronics, clothing, books, kitchen and household items.
To learn more about our clothing donation program, visit our website or call our ReStore at (905) 637-4446 ext. 427.
Other places to donate clothing in the GTA
The Burlington Humane Society also accepts donations of clothing to their retail stores, Attic and Loft, during operating hours. Loft is located within their shelter, and the Attic store is located in downtown Burlington. The proceeds from sales at both locations go back into the cost of maintaining their shelter. Check out the Burlington Humane Society’s website for store addresses and more information.
Goodwill is another organization which accepts clothing donations in-store. They also accept jewellery, bedding and linens and shoes. You can find their locations in Burlington, Oakville, North Oakville and Milton. Donations are sold in their retail stores to help local people find employment in their community. Visit Goodwill’s website for more details.
IODE Opportunity Shop in Oakville accepts donations of men’s and women’s seasonal clothing during their store hours. These donations are sold in their charity store, with proceeds contributing to donations to charities and bursaries to schools. Check out IODE’s website for more information.
The Salvation Army accepts gently used or brand new clothing donations for its Thrift Stores. Donated clothing is sold in a Thrift Store, or recycled as carpet padding or upholstery stuffing, helping to divert waste from landfills. The Salvation Army has drop-off bins in Mississauga and Oakville, and has Thrift Stores in Burlington, Milton, Mississauga, Georgetown and Oakville. More information is available by visiting The Salvation Army’s website.
Wastewise, a recycling and electronic waste centre, accepts donations of clothing, shoes, linens, pillows and drapery (which must be clean). Donations are sold in their Georgetown reuse store. Proceeds made from sales go toward maintaining operations and local environmental initiatives. If you want to learn more, check out Wastewise’s website by following this link.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul also accepts clothing donations. Some clothing is sold in resale stores, such as their Mississauga store, with the profit going to help people living in poverty. Other clothing donations are donated directly to people who need them. You can find more information on their website.
Safetynet is another organization which accepts donations of clothing, through drop-offs in donation boxes or home pick-ups if there are more than three garbage bags of clothing. The donated clothes, which can range from items for babies to adults, are given to families in need. In addition to the clothing you may think of donating, Safetynet also accepts business suits, shoes, bedding and linens. Clothing which is not fit to be donated, such as pieces with tears or stains, is recycled to raise additional funds to assist with the costs of the charity. Follow this link to check out Safetynet’s website.
There are also programs which donate clothing directly to people in need. Halton Women’s Place accepts donations of clothing for women and children, however they must be new items. The Compassion Society, located in Burlington, accepts donations of gently used clothes for children, men and women. They have one donation box in Oakville, and two in Burlington. The Halton Children’s Aid Society also accepts donations of clothing.
The Canadian Community Support Foundation has green donation boxes for textile waste across Ontario, such as in Milton. Community members can donate clothing, purses, shoes, linens and draperies. Donations can be in any condition, but must be clean and dry. The clothing donations represent the foundation’s primary source of funding, allowing them to donate to local charities to further their own endeavours. You can find more information on the Canadian Community Support Foundation’s website.
Dress for Success Burlington is currently not accepting donations as they prepare to move. However, they typically accept clothing such as coats, suits, blazers, blouses and more. Their goal is to empower women through providing clothing for job interviews and their first week of work. More details are available on their website.
Canadian Diabetes has a partnership with a for-profit arm called Clothesline, which accepts donations through pick-ups and drop-offs in community boxes across the country. Clothesline accepts donations of any type of clothing, shoes, accessories, bags and sleeping bags. They also accept other cloth items such as bedding. They then bring their clothing donations to Value Village and receive monetary funds for their donation to the for-profit retailer. Visit Value Village’s website for more information, and find a drop box near you by following this link.
Similarly, the Kidney Foundation of Canada has a trust organization called Kidney Clothes. Kidney Clothes accepts clothing donations, both through home pick-ups and drop-offs at a box or at a donation centre. They look for donations of clothing, shoes, purses, bags, belts, bedding and draperies. The items donated are then sold to Value Village, and those funds are donated to The Kidney Foundation’s research and programs. You can find more information on the organization’s website.
As you’re doing your spring cleaning this year, keep Habitat in mind for your clothing donations. In the process, you’ll be helping the environment by diverting waste from ending up in a landfill. Plus, you’ll be contributing to efforts to build affordable housing for local families at the same time — all while being confident that your donation is going directly to Habitat. Stop by one of Habitat’s three ReStores today and look for our bright blue donation bins!