The other day I donated a lot of my late mother’s clothes to the Family Place, a Dallas organization that “empowers survivors of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling, and skills.” They also run a crisis hotline and a thrift store. You can find out more about them at familyplace.org.
The Family Place store is very nice and according to their pamphlet, “clients use vouchers to shop at our Resale Shop for personal and household items.” It’s also open to the public. You can call them at 214-358-0381 if you want them to pick up furniture or big items for donation. If you drop off in person, you have to drive around the back where you load your bags or boxes of donated items into the back of a truck. That can be a sad moment, but if you take a moment to walk around the lovely store afterwards, you’ll feel great.
I was also lucky to be in Dallas on a Friday, when Dress for Success accepts donations. That’s another great place to donate clothes – they’re specifically looking for women’s work-appropriate clothing and professional attire. You can find them at dallas.dressforsuccess.org.
It’s a big, emotional thing to dispose of a loved one’s personal things. I’m very grateful for all of the organizations and groups that accept donations like these and put them to good use for others. I know my mom would have been very happy to have her clothing go to these kinds of groups — and a family friend just confirmed that my mom thought the Family Place did great work, which is fantastic to know.
Most cities and towns have groups like these; I highly recommend searching for them if and when you’re faced with a similar task.
