New Treasures
The expression ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’ must have come from a mom—and we’re pretty sure she was talking about children’s items. Kids don’t care if things are new or old because everything is new to them…and savvy moms know how to take advantage of this little secret. Luckily for us (our kids and the environment) Vancouver has many options for recycling our children’s old stuff and feeling good about doing it too.
Send your “like-new” baby and children’s clothing, books, strollers, and bedding to Crabtree Corner YWCA, which supports women and children on Vancouver’s Eastside. For that much loved stroller, Sweet Peanut is offering a $50 gift certificate to their online store for every stroller donated to Crabtree Corner for the remainder of 2009. Sweet Peanut will even pick up the stroller at your home. You just need to email them at orders@sweetpeanut.com to arrange a time (and tell them SavvyMom sent you). If you go to Crabtree Corner yourself to make your donation, please call ahead to arrange a time. The YWCA also has a Thrift Shop on Main Street that supports Crabtree Corner and all other Lower Mainland YWCA’s.
A great place for gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and even those magazines you were going to put in your recycling bin, is any one of Vancouver Public Libraries. Your donations help to enhance the libraries’ collections and promote literacy. The donated items need to be of current interest to become part of the library collection but older items may still be of interest to the library for their book sales. For large donations, you’ll want to call ahead.
Good to know: write up an inventory list with costs for each item and if you donate more than $25, you can ask for a tax receipt.
Toys are by far one of the hardest for which to find good second homes, but a few local Savvy Moms have shared their faves with us. Meghan S. in North Vancouver likes The Good Stuff Connection Thrift Shop, which supports SAGE Transition House for women and children, for her kids’ no-longer-played-with-toys. She takes her larger items, such as high chairs, to her local church. Linda A. in Tsawwassen takes her as-good-as new toys and complete game sets to her son’s preschool, Martina R. in New Westminster takes her daughters’ outgrown toys and clothing to the local SPCA and Salvation Army Thrift Stores, and Michelle T. in Dunbar takes her children’s forgotten toys to Splash Toy Store, where toys collected are sent to Sisters of Charity who then distribute them to needy women and children in downtown Vancouver.
One of our SavvyMom favourite places to donate housewares and clothing essentials is the Children’s & Women’s Auxiliaries Thrift Shop. The onsite thrift store is run by volunteers of the Auxiliary of both Women’s and Children’s hospitals, and raises funds to support research, programs and equipment at both hospitals.
So go ahead and purge this spring and don’t feel bad about getting rid of little Jack’s favourite pail. Someone else will treasure it again.
Splash Toy Store
(604) 228-8697
4243 Dunbar Street
 |
Tested by Meghan S., North Vancouver Linda A., Tsawwassen Martina R., New Westminster Michelle T., Vancouver |
 |