FRIDAY FIVE
January is a time for new beginnings, and in the year 2019, that means KonMari-ing the crap out of your Bay Area apartment.
If you have not read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo or watched her new Netflix series, the KonMari method takes seasonal decluttering to a whole new level and promises lasting results with the help of ruthless decision-making and meticulous categorizing.
If you’re already a fan, you have likely already made your 2019 mantra: “Does this [insert item] spark joy?” But once you’ve tossed the items that didn’t spark joy to the side, don’t just throw them away — donate them to those who will find them joyful.
Goodwill
Goodwill is the obvious first choice when it comes to donating clothes, furniture and random kitchen items. There are 12 locations in the city of San Francisco alone, and more scattered around the East Bay and the South Bay.
When you drop off your donations here, you will receive a receipt, and at the end of the year, you can claim a tax deduction. Goodwill collectively employs 288,000 people in the US and Canada. And as Goodwill points out on its website, donating your items to Goodwill is good for the planet too. “Over the past few years alone, you’ve helped keep billions of pounds of clothing and household items out of landfills,” Goodwill states.
Various locations | www.sfgoodwill.org/shop/find-a-store/
Community Thrift
Community Thrift is a great nonprofit organization in the Mission that accepts a wide range of donations, including jewelry, accessories, art, household furniture, electronics, books, movies and gently used clothes. The nonprofit sells the items in their Mission-based thrift store on behalf of 200 Bay Area charities.
Community Thrift notes on its website that condition is key when donating: “Items should be in a clean and sell-able condition. Some items are subject to refusal. If we have to throw it away, it’s an expense to us and the charities we serve.” There is a long list of items they don’t accept, so make sure to check it out before hauling your stuff over.
623 Valencia Street (Mission); www.communitythriftsf.org/donate/
St. Anthony’s
St. Anthony’s is a local organization that supports and assists the city’s most vulnerable people. From serving free hot meals to teaching classes to aiding in addiction recovery, there are many ways to volunteer and help this organization operate — including by donating clothes. St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program provides free clothing to homeless and low-income families, and is always looking for donations of “clean, like-new” clothing. Coats, jackets and pants are all listed as “critically needed” items at the moment.
121 Golden Gate Avenue (Civic Center) |www.stanthonysf.org/clothing
The Salvation Army
The organization uses proceeds made from selling donations to fund their Adult Rehabilitation Centers around the world. The Salvation Army, similar to Goodwill, accepts just about any household item, piece of furniture or appliance. Donations are also tax deductible.
Considering that many in Northern California lost their homes due to wildfires in the fall, this is a great place at which to donate, as the Salvation Army also helps those who have survived natural disasters. There are a few locations in the Bay Area.
Various locations | www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/
Prisoner’s Literature Project
Once you have tossed your kitchen items, furniture and clothing, your bookshelf will need a good run through the KonMari method too. And despite what some think, she doesn’t limit your books to 30.
Chances are your old textbooks or that novel you made it one-third of the way through don’t spark joy. Consider donating these to the Prisoner’s Literature Project, a San Francisco–based nonprofit that receives donations from all across the country. While they receive book donations for any genre, they specifically request dictionaries, how-to books, history books, dictionaries of all kinds and GED test-prep materials; books on politics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, science and mathematics; and books on African American, Latino and Native American history and culture.
Books can be donated to a few different locations in the Bay Area, including Community Thrift (mentioned above) in PLP’s name.
Various locations |www.prisonlit.org/donate/
