Charities prepare for end-of-year surge in donated goods

“We had two of them in there that we don’t use anymore, and I thought someone else could use it instead of throwing it away,” he said.

A majority of donated items make their way to the floor of the store, where shoppers browse for bargains. Anita Withrow is a regular customer.

“Probably four to five times a month,” she said of her trips to the store.

Most of the money from sales is used to support various programs offered by The Salvation Army of Wake County.

“(The money) helps those families, whether it’s through the shelter, through the crisis program, the soup line. All those programs (have) benefited from the funds raised by the thrift store,” spokeswoman Lizzy Adams said.

The Judy D. Zelnak Center of Hope, which opened this year on Capital Boulevard, is more than triple the size of the nonprofit’s old facility. The number of beds in the shelter has nearly tripled as well, so the need is great.

Adams said all kinds of donations are needed, from bedding to basic hygiene products. The shelter averages about 50 children at any given time, and they would love to have games, toys and crafts.

“Those are all wonderful items,” Adams said. “And we generally give away about 7,000 coats over the course of a winter season.”

Donating used goods is a win-win: Items are reused, the money raised from sales benefits those in need, and the donations are tax-deductible.

Kim Huband brought in so much stuff, he couldn't fit it all into a cart.

“At Christmas, you get some gifts in, and you need to clear some space out,” he said. “But it is nice to be able to get a deduction while they’re available to us.”

The {{a href=external_link-2"}}Internal Revenue Service{{/a}} offers instructions online on how to determine the value of donated items.