With the New Year upon us, I’m cleaning out and organizing! I’m so ready to donate my kids’ outgrown clothes and toys. Yet, this year it’s not enough to just clear my space: I want to know our abundance is going somewhere useful. While donating to the big chain thrift charities in our area is easy, I’m here to tell you that there are better options for where to donate goods on the Seacoast. Our surplus can really make a difference for those who are struggling in our community when we donate to local Seacoast Area thrift stores.
Know Before You Donate
There are many reasons why local Seacoast charities are a better choice. Your outgrown goods can make a real impact on the lives of your neighbors and the funds raised go to support our communities. I know that when it comes to taking back your house and clearing some clutter, it can be tempting to just dump all of your old stuff in a donation bin and move on with your life. However, taking a minute to connect with a cause can turn your outgrown shoes into a new beginning for someone else.
Seacoast Area Thrift Stores
Journey Home Thrift
Journey Home Thrift is an organization that raises funds and exposure for Hospice related organizations such as the New Hampshire Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (nhhpco). They do this largely by operating their resale shops in Barrington and North Hampton. They accept donations of child and adult clothing, jewelry, toys, and household goods.
[box type=”info” border=”full”]Website
585 Calef Hwy., Unit #2
Barrington, NH 03825
(603)664-8060
180 Lafayette Rd
North Hampton
(603) 379-8070[/box]
CERV Thrift Shop
CERV is a non-profit thrift store run by Christian Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV). They operate the store as both a method of fundraising and community outreach. Not only do they offer reasonably priced treasures to the community but they also provide free clothes, food, and toiletries to the homeless as well as assistance to those impacted by a tragedy such as fire or flood. Surely, one of the most helpful Seacoast charities.
[box border=”full”]email: cervhim2005@gmail.com
Facebook
96 New Rochester Rd
Dover, New Hampshire 03820[/box]
Pass Along Project
The Pass Along Project is a volunteer-run organization that provides “start-up” bundles of clothing and supplies for children in crisis who are placed in foster care. They have collection and distribution centers around New Hampshire and their network of volunteers work together to get the needed supplies in the hands of foster families. They accept donations of gently used children’s items, money, and time.
Locally donations can be dropped off at:
Seacoast Board of Realtors
110 Corporate Drive, Suite 4
Pease International Tradeport, Portsmouth, NH 03801
and
Steve’s Accurate Automotive Repair
194 Littleworth Rd, Madbury, NH 03823
[box]website
email: info@passalongproject.com
Phone: 603-817-9011[/box]
Full Circle Community Thrift Store
Full Circle Thrift Store is a volunteer-run non-profit that provides financial assistance to individuals battling cancer. They accept donations of adult clothes, kids clothes, toys, and housewares. They are also always looking for volunteers and those looking for community service hours.
[box border=”full”]Facebook Site
150 Dow Hwy. Route 236
Eliot, ME 03903
(207)703-0266[/box]
Second Generation Thrift Shop
According to their website, Second Generation Thrift is operated by New Generation, a charity that provides, “shelter and guidance for pregnant and parenting homeless women.” New Generation provides group housing, transitional apartments, and an educational program “designed to increase proper and effective parenting and increase self-sufficiency”. Second Generation Thrift Shop generates operating funds for the shelter programs, along with public donations. They accept donations of gently used men’s, baby, children, and women’s clothing, shoes, household decorations, books, games, and fashion accessories. This is where to donate goods on the Seacoast that will specifically help women and children in need.
[box border=”full”]Website
9 Tide Mill Road
Greenland, NH 03840
(603) 430-9482 [/box]
Fair Tide Thrift Store
Fair Tide is a grassroots organization founded 20 years ago to address the issue of homelessness in our community. The Fair Tide Thrift Store provides critical funding for the organization’s housing program and supportive services that help move people from homelessness to long-term stability. According to their website, all profits from the store go directly to supporting Fair Tide’s mission. One of my favorite Seacoast charities.
[box]website
15 State Rd. Kittery, ME 03904
(207)439-2427
10:00am-5:00pm Mon-Sat[/box]
The Thrift Shoppe at Ten North Main
The Thrift Shoppe is an outreach program of the Newmarket Community Church and operates entirely through volunteers. This Seacoast area thrift shop provides free clothing and housewares to families in need as well as raising money for the church’s various outreach programs and providing the opportunity to gain job skills through their volunteer program. People can donate gently used clothing and housewares. They also write, “You do not need to be a member of the church to take part in this mission. For the many people volunteering at the shop, we offer an opportunity for caring people to make a contribution to the community.”
[box]Website
10 N. Main St. Newmarket, NH 03857
(603)659-3892
Mon- Sat 10:00am-2:00pm[/box]
Thrift and Gift
Thrift and Gift is an outreach ministry of the Trinity Anglican Church in Rochester and is run entirely by volunteers. In addition to providing the community with access to fairly priced goods the shop also supplies other charities and organizations such as Riverside Nursing Home, Colonial Hill Nursing Home, Avis Goodwin, Hope on Haven Hill, The Berwick Methodist Church, The Liberty House (for homeless veterans ) and Victims, Inc. with clothing and homewares. They accept donations of clothing, shoes, household goods, books, jewelry, and toys.
[box]180 Rochester Hill Rd.
Rochester, NH 03867
(603)332-1376
10:00am-2:00pm
Tue-Sat
www.trinity-anglicanchurch.org[/box]
Jasmine’s Journey
Community Clothing Shop
The Community Clothing Shop is a branch of SHARE Fund, a registered 501c3 nonprofit. According to their website SHARE fund provides “various types of material and financial support to families and individuals in need during emergencies or times of severe hardship.” The community clothing shop provides low-cost clothing and household goods to the community with all proceeds going to their emergency assistance programs. Plus, they offer free shopping to beneficiaries of their programs.
150 Wakefield St. Rochester, NH 03867
(603)335-0011
Mon, Sat: 9:00am-12:00pm
Wed: 9:00am-3:00pm[/box]
I appreciate this list of information, and now have specific donations in mind for CERV and the Pass-Along Project.
I don’t dispute any of the facts cited about the larger thrift organizations, but it is worth noting that Savers has the infrastructure to re-purpose clothes that are not resalable – by shredding them for reusable fibers. This is a real service to the community, something I’m grateful for when I have a large number of, e.g., old t-shirts and socks that I don’t want to see go into the landfill. To me, this means that Savers earns some of their profit by performing recycling services that neither individuals nor small local thrift shops have access to.
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