‘Don’t toss it out. Toss it to us.’

If decluttering is part of your spring-cleaning regime, you should end up with lots of items – clothes, books, shoes, linens, and more – that need a new home after they leave yours.

Most professional organizers recommend that you not just toss it all in the trash but donate it to the charity of your choice. And Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island (BBBSRI) wants people to know that they can help.

“We always say, ‘Don’t toss it out.  Toss it to us,’” says Tina Santos, marketing director for Big Brothers Big Sisters. “Donating is convenient and easy, and you know that what you are getting rid of is really helping someone else.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national non-profit organization that is committed to helping youth reach their potential through its mentoring network.  Clothing and other donations support much of the mentoring work and help them assist partner agencies, Santos said.

She said that BBBSRI makes donations work for them by teaming up with Savers thrift stores and selling the donations it collects to the stores. 

“The funds we receive (for the donations) support about 70-percent of our mentoring work,” Santos said.  “The impact is tangible. In 2024, 100-percent of our mentees advanced to the next grade and 93-percent of parents noted improved mental health in their children.”

Donating not only supports the work BBBSRI does, but it is good for the environment and an easy way to recycle, according to Santos.  She said that the clothing and other “soft items” that the organization collected “diverted 4 million pounds of textile waste from the landfill.”

Santos said that Big Brothers Big Sisters makes it easy for people to donate.  It offers free curbside pickup at people’s homes and also has drop-off centers, and more than 100 green bins throughout Rhode Island.

“We want to make sure it is convenient and easy to donate,” Santos said.  “We say, ‘bag it, tag it and drop it.’”

While donations are critical to the programs Big Brothers Big Sisters provides, Santos said that they are also aware that they are helping people get unwanted items from their home. 

She advises anyone embarking on a spring-cleaning project to do their homework and pick a charitable organization to donate to rather than just tossing items in the trash.

In addition to clothing, some of the items Big Brothers Big Sisters accepts includes clean handbags, towels, sheets, books, small toys, sporting goods, and small appliances in working condition.

“Donating is sustainable, and it helps organizations do good work,” she said.