Be Charitable with Your Giveaways
The holiday season is a natural time for charitable giving … but it’s important to remember that not everything we want to donate may be appropriate or welcomed.
As a general rule, donate items that would be welcomed by a family member, friend or neighbor. Most charities want readily usable items that they can deliver to the needy or sell to raise funds for a cause. Volunteers in these organizations usually cannot repair items. Anything that is broken, disfigured or worn out is trash. Leaving such items at a charity uses staff time to process them and can increase their garbage disposal costs.
Never leave items out in the elements, as usable items may get soggy, moldy or otherwise unusable. Always donate when the charity is open for business. Check their websites and/or call to make sure they can take in your items and at what time. Some households have downsized and donated during the pandemic, and some charities may be overloaded currently.
If unwanted items are recyclable, that may be a better option. While a lot of pretty glass jars may be repurposed as vases, if you do not want the glass, recycle it.
Here is a list of items that most charities will not take, either because the items must be recycled in a specific way or the items are outdated, unsafe or the subject of a recall:
Items Charities May Not Accept
Following is information on several local organizations including how, what and where to donate:
Local Organizations Accepting Donations of Clothing and Household Items
This is a list of nearby brick and mortar stores that take donations of clothing and household items, which will be given to the needy or sold to raise funds for a cause. Some of these places may accept small items of furniture, such as end tables or small chairs; others may accept and pick up larger items of furniture, such as sofas and dressers. Your best bet is to contact the charity directly before donating.
Places That Give Donated Items to the Needy at No Cost
ALIVE!
Gives donated items to the needy referred by the Alexandria Office of Community Services. Check the website for an inventory of items needed and for which they have a full inventory currently: www.alive-inc.org. To donate: housewares@alive-inc.org. Donations are collected at Fairlington United Methodist Church, 3900 King Street. Alexandria.
ALIVE! also picks up furniture on Saturdays and on three Sundays a year. That service was suspended during the pandemic, but check the website for its return. To donate: furniture@alive-inc.org.
Koinonia
Collects clothing and distributes it to those in need in Kingstowne/Franconia area. Check the website for needed items; www.koinoniacares.org. To Donate: 703-971-1991, 6222 Franconia Road, Alexandria – place items in the drop-off bins.
Places That Sell Donated Items for a Cause
Springfield Treasure Trove
Accepts donations of clothes, household items, home décor and clothes and sells them to raise funds for the INOVA Fairfax Medical Campus programs and services; some consignments are permitted. To Donate: 703-569-7751, 6416 Spring Blvd. (in Springfield Plaza Commuter). Donations are generally accepted during business hours, which currently are Wednesday-Sunday.
The Twig
Accepts and sells quality clothing, accessories and household items to raise money for INOVA Hospital in Alexandria. The store generally closes for the summer. Check the website for items currently accepted: thetwig@thetwig.org; there generally is a monthly list of items sought. To donate: 703-683-5544, 106 N. Columbus in Old Town Alexandria.
Look Again Resale
Accepts household items, antiques, collectibles, bric-a-brac and some clothes and books to raise funds for the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metro Washington. Check the website, www.youreyes.org, for details on what they accept; donations are accepted during working hours, which currently are Thursday-Sunday. To donate: 703-683-2558, 900 King in Old Town. There is a reserved parking spot right outside the door to drop off donations. Some furniture pick-up may be available – call the shop.
Catholic Charities Christ House Thrift Shop
Accepts clothing and accessories and sells them to raise funds to support Catholic Charities’ Emergency Assistance Program for Alexandrians in need. The store is currently open on Thursday, Friday and Monday. To donate: 703-548-4227, 1255 West Street in Old Town Alexandria.
Salvation Army Store and Donor Center
Accepts more than just clothing and household items to sell in the store at reasonable prices to serve the needy and to support the work of the Salvation Army. To donate: 703-642-9270, 6528 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria. They accept donations in a drive-through process Monday-Saturday from 10am to 8pm; they are closed on Sunday. For a free pick-up, schedule an appointment at www.satruck.com or call the store.
ReStore
Accepts furniture, appliances, home décor and building materials to sell to raise funds to support Habitat for Humanity’s efforts in NOVA to assist low- to moderate-income families with housing. Many local contractors donate excess building materials here. To donate: 703-360-6700, 869 S. Pickett, Alexandria. They accept donations from 10am to 6pm Monday-Saturday; they are closed on Sunday. To arrange a pick-up, call the store. All items to be donated must be curbside, on the driveway or in the garage;
Goodwill Donation Center and Store
Volunteers accept much more than just clothing and housewares. Check their website at www.dcgoodwill.org. To donate: 703-647-8402, 6220 Richmond Highway, Alexandria. Donation Center accepts donations Monday-Saturday from 10am to 7pm.
Accepting Other Items
Upcycle
UpCycle Creative Reuse Center is an Alexandria, Virginia based non-profit that connects creativity and conservation by providing a resource center for reuse materials and a creative making space for the community. Donations are by appointment only www.upcyclecrc.org/materials-donations1.html. Bring no more than three bags/boxes per appointment. A box = one banker's-style box. A bag = one paper grocery bag. Donations are accepted at the loading dock between the Durant Center and the pool at 1605 Cameron Street. Please wear a mask and maintain a safe distance from our staff
Glass Recycling
We no longer collect grass recyclables, please take glass recyclables to one of the nearest purple bin locations, the nearest location to Cameron Station is 4251 Eisenhower Ave. More Details...
Please do not dispose of any of the above in the common areas, thank you!
Common Area Reminders
Parking Restrictions
Per the Parking Policy Res. 22-01, please be aware that residents are not permitted to park in visitor parking for any measure of time. In the instance that a resident is visiting another resident in a different phase of the community from which they reside, the vehicle must be registered to Cameron Station and must have a Cameron Station Parking decal visible. To get a parking decal or update your vehicle record, the form is linked here. All visitors are required to use the Visitor Pass of the resident they are visiting for the duration of their visit. The only exception where residents can park in visitor spaces is if residents are parked in another phase other than their own or if they are utilizing the Cameron Club Facilities, Pool or Management office.
Lock Your Cars
The many cars parked outside, whether parked on the streets or in resident driveway, make Cameron Station attractive to would-be car burglars or thieves. If possible, please park your cars in a garage, and if you must park a car outside, please make sure it is locked at all times.
In the May/June 2020 of the Compass, we announced a change in the distribution policy for the newsletter. Every resident would receive The Compass electtronically unless she/he specifically requested it by mail when registering for the Cameron Station 2020 Resident ID sticker. This has caused some confusion. Given that things are confusing enough as we deal with the impact of the coronavirus, we will not be making any changes in distribution at this time. Stay well, everyone.
Effective January 15, 2020, customers who receive City of Alexandria recycling service must bring glass containers to one of the region's 25 "purple bin" drop-off locations to ensure the glass will be recycled. As in other area localities, glass placed in curbside trash or recycling carts will not be recycled. Glass taken to a purple bin must be clean and empty.
Due to issues that include recycling contamination, rising recycling costs, and a lack of regional glass-sorting facilities, glass collected in curbside recycling by City contractors is ending up as trash in landfills. One of the action items in the City's WasteSmart Strategic Plan adopted by City Council earlier this year was to review the City's position on glass and make a recommendation to continue the collection service or remove glass from residential curbside recycling.
Over the last few years, the global recycling market has experienced tremendous pressure and cities across the country are changing their handling of glass recycling, which has become both difficult to recycle and a significant expense. Based on these findings, the City is changing its approach to glass recycling to ensure the greatest environmental benefit.
The City has taken proactive measures to improve the recyclability of glass. In May 2019, the City partnered with other local jurisdictions to deploy special glass-only bins at all recycling drop-off centers and implemented a glass recovery awareness campaign. There are currently 25 regional bins, with five in Alexandria, including a new bin at MOM's Organic Market (3831 Mt. Vernon Ave.) that will open in January. Since the launch of the Purple Glass Bin program, Alexandria residents have sent more than 170 tons of glass to the Fairfax County Glass Processing Center for recovery.
Glass Recycling Locations in the City of Alexandria:
* S. Whiting St. (at the end of S. Whiting St., intersecting at Tower Ct.)
* 3224 Colvin St.
* 4251 Eisenhower Ave.
* Jones Point Park (at the end of S. Royal St.)
* MOM's Organic Market (3831 Mt. Vernon Ave.) - opening in January 2020
The City of Alexandria now joins Fairfax County, Arlington County, Prince William County and the Town of Herndon in removing glass from curbside recycling programs to ensure it will be recycled.
For more information about glass recycling, the Purple Glass Bin program, or WasteSmart, visit alexandriava.gov/Recycling.
For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.
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