Give Back: NGOs To Donate Clothes And Belongings

Goonj is an NGO which has a whole ecosystem of donation and upcycling, apart from the infrastrcuture-related work they do in rural India.They accept donations all year round, and now is the best time to scour for stuff you can easily give away.

They Accept: clothing, unused school material, footwear, paper and even furniture. Just make sure your donation is still wearable/usable.

Pickup Service: They don't have one in place, but you can look for the closest dropping centre around you! The Office in Mira Road is operational from Monday to Saturday 10AM to 5PM.

Wishing Well is an organization that started off with making a mobile library for children, and now they connect donors and volunteers with the appropriate NGOs in the city.

They Accept: Clothes, books (preferably not reference or college-level books), toys, household and electronic goods in good condition.

Pickup Service: Donate by sending an email to donate@wishingwellonline.org with the details of your donation. Confirm if they are available to pick-up donations if you are located between Colaba and Jogeshwari.

Bal Anand primarily helps children that may have been orphaned, abandoned or surrendered by their biological parents or caretakers. It's a home for such children, and they also facilitate adoptions for them. They do not accept second-hand items.

They Accept: Books, pencils, crayons, groceries, vegetables, household items (cleaning supplies) and child care items.

Pickup Service: They don't have one, so you're gonna have to send your donation to their centre or drop it off at their reception.

Based out of Andheri, Prayas – Ek Koshish is an NGO that collects items to be donated and distributes them after they've been repaired and refurbished, to the economically and socially underprivileged.

They Accept: Clothes, books, toys, journals, unused paper, paper used on one side, electronics

Pickup Service: They can organise a pick-up, but they would prefer if you drop it off at their office in Andheri, where they will be checked, sorted and distributed.

Clothes Box Foundation is a non-profit that aims to provide clean clothes for all and reach out to socially disadvantaged sections of society through their donation process. Currently, in light of Covid-19 they are distributing Covid-19 Relief Kits. You can donate via their website.

They Accept: Garments

Pickup Service: You can connect with them via Whatsapp and get your clothes picked up at your doorstep or drop them off at the nearest collection centre.

The Ratna Nidhi Charitable is a non-profit that undertakes a variety of projects and one of their projects is The Garment Project. As part of this, they accept and distribute garments and donations in kind to the underprivileged. You can donate via their website.

They Accept Garments, Books, Computers in good condition. Currently as winter is coming up, they are running a drive for warm clothes and winter wear.

Pickup Service: You can connect with them online and get your clothes picked up at your doorstep or enquire if you can drop them off at the office if your prefer.

Almost all of these organisations have robust and active volunteer/internship programs in place. We urge you to help out in any way you can, and spread the word about them! Also, don't shy away from offering monetary donations, too, as they help the organisations provide better facilities to those who need them. 

Disclaimer: Pick-up and drop services and hours of operation might be affected in light of Covid-19. We urge you to reach out to the organisation you are interested in donating to before you do so for both your and their convenience.