Your unwanted gifts could be someone else’s treasure
Christmas and the end-of-year rush are finally behind us! The wrapping paper’s in the bin, the leftovers are disappearing, and you might be looking at one or two presents thinking, “Lovely thought – but not for me.”
If something didn’t quite hit the mark, there’s a simple way to turn it into something meaningful: donate it to a Save the Children Op Shop. Your unwanted gifts can become a new find for another shopper – and the funds raised help support Save the Children’s work with children and families in Australia and around the world.
Clothes that don’t fit, toys your kids already have, books you’ll never read, homewares that aren’t your style – chances are they’ll be exactly what someone else has been searching for.
Photo: Mike Chilton / Save the Children.
How to donate your items
Donations during business hours are appreciated. Before donating, you can check with your nearest store to confirm the types of items they accept for resale.
A quick donation checklist can help:
- Items are clean, complete and in good working order
- Batteries are removed (where relevant)
- Toys, games and puzzles include all parts
- Small pieces are secured in a bag
- Anything fragile is wrapped or boxed
Click here for more information on items our op shops can and can’t accept.
What about items we can’t sell?
Some items aren’t suitable for resale – but that doesn’t always mean they’re destined for landfill. For smaller textile items like lone socks, fabric scraps, and sewing materials, you can arrange a pickup with our recycling partner, UPPAREL, which re-uses as many materials as possible to make new things like socks, handbags, blankets, even basketball courts and playground equipment – helping minimise textile waste.
Photo: Guy Bailey / Save the Children.
Generous, guilt-free regifting
There’s something satisfying about starting the new year with less clutter and more purpose. When you donate to a Save the Children Op Shop, you’re helping us keep working so children can have what they need to survive and thrive – including through health and immunisation support, education programs that help children keep learning, and programs that support communities to build resilience in the face of disasters.
Where can you donate?
Save the Children Op Shops are located in convenient locations across the country and are staffed by our amazing volunteers.
You can donate your goods during the opening hours of any op shop. Simply hand over to a staff member or pop them in the donation bin near the front of the store.
Start the year on a positive note: let your unwanted gifts become someone else’s treasure, and help support children to have a safer, healthier year ahead.