Further thoughts on donations:
On the one hand, they could be valuable to somebody. I did a service turn at a shelter that also collects and distributes donated clothing and other goods. I was assigned to a sorting task. The staffer said: “Anything that’s too tattered or stained or otherwise unfit to put on the shelves and the racks—put it in this bag.”
I asked what happens to the stuff in those bags. She said, “They send it to Africa.” I asked, “If it’s in too bad a shape to distribute, why are we sending it to Africa?”
She said, “When you don’t have anything, stuff like this looks pretty good.”
On the other hand, they could just become a burden. One charity based near me notified its donors that they want only new or like-new clothing contributions from now on. (Hell, if it’s new or like new, I’m still wearing it.) The reason? It costs them $50,000 per year, they said, to dispose of donations that have no value. They wanted us to know they weren’t a free junk-hauling service but had standards for their handouts.
Before making donations, I guess it’s best to check with the prospective recipient on what they can and can’t accept.