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" There&amp;#039;s a better place for your old furniture, used eyeglasses and outdated computer than your basement or garage. Many organizations make sure that your gently used items find their way to people who could really use them. And donating doesn&amp;#039;t have to mean going on a wild-goose chase to find out how to get your stuff into the right hands: Many nonprofits have stepped up their collection programs, setting up nationwide drop-off points, so there&amp;#039;s bound to be one near you. Some will let you mail items in, and others will even pick up stuff right from your doorstep. Below, nine organizations that are making doing good more convenient.    1. American Red Cross If your car&amp;#039;s broken down and you don&amp;#039;t know what to do with it, call the American Red Cross instead of letting it sit in your driveway. Many chapters\u2014there are hundreds nationwide\u2014will pick up vehicles that are no longer road-worthy. If your car can make it a few more miles, drive it to an American Red Cross Sales Lot. Donating your car, whether it&amp;#039;s running or not, will earn you a tax break: The more it&amp;#039;s worth, the higher the deduction. Click here to find your local American Red Cross chapter.   2. Career Gear Your husband&amp;#039;s old work clothes that no longer fit him may help disadvantaged men land jobs. Donate gently used suits as well as dress shirts, shoes and overcoats to Career Gear, which will redistribute the items to men looking for work. The nonprofit also teaches them job retention and career advancement skills. Bring clothing to one of Career Gear&amp;#039;s nine locations. If there isn&amp;#039;t one nearby, send lightweight goods (like ties, toiletries and socks) to the organization by mail. Click here to find a Career Gear location near you.   3. Cell Phones for Soldiers Donate your old cell phone to support U.S. troops. Cell Phones for Soldiers will refurbish working phones and pass them on to men and women returning from active duty. Older phones are recycled, and profits are used to send calling cards to soldiers overseas\u2014a broken phone equals 60 minutes of talk time. Click here to find a Cell Phone for Soldiers drop-off site (there are more than 40,000) or visit a participating Little Caesars Pizza location during March or April to pick up a postage-paid envelope, which allows you to drop your old phone in the mail at no cost.    4. Dress for Success When you&amp;#039;re ready to part with some of your 9-to-5 outfits, pack them up for Dress for Success. The organization donates career wear to disadvantaged women and offers ongoing support to help them thrive in the workforce. Bring suits, blouses, scarves, jewelry and other professional clothing to your local Dress for Success outpost. Some affiliates participate in Suits to Go and will pick up your gently worn business attire for a small fee. Click here to find a Dress for Success location near you.   5. LensCrafters After you upgrade your prescription eyeglasses, help someone else see clearly by dropping off old pairs at your local LensCrafters. Through the company&amp;#039;s affiliation with OneSight, a charitable vision care program, prescription eyeglasses, bifocals and nonprescription sunglasses are hand-delivered to needy men, women and children across the globe. Click here to find the nearest LensCrafters location.   6. Habitat for Humanity&amp;#039;s Habitat ReStores Has your latest home improvement project left you with lots of extra supplies? Don&amp;#039;t let them languish in the basement. Instead, bring them to one of Habitat for Humanity&amp;#039;s Habitat Restores, where they&amp;#039;ll be sold to the general public at a fraction of the price. Profits help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities. Click here to find a Habitat ReStore in your state.   7. Recycles.org A laptop that&amp;#039;s no longer fast enough for you may be just right for a church, classroom or library. Visit Recycles.org if you have an old computer or other office equipment to unload. Begin the recycling process by filling out an anonymous donation form\u2013\u2013if you&amp;#039;re not willing to ship goods, just say so on the form. Your offer will stay in the system until it&amp;#039;s paired with a nearby nonprofit recipient who will arrange for pickup.   8. Reuse-A-Shoe Nike&amp;#039;s Reuse-A-Shoe program accepts any brand of used athletic shoes and repurposes them into sports surfaces\u2014like tracks, tennis courts or playgrounds\u2014in underserved communities around the world. Since 1990, more than 50 million old shoes have been collected. To donate up to 10 pairs, just drop them off at your local Nike store; there may also be a community recycling center nearby. Click here to find a Nike store or recycling center locations.    9. Salvation Army Donating to the Salvation Army has never been easier: Used clothing, furniture or household items can be left at one of 2,300 nationwide drop-off location bins. Call 800-728-7825 to find one near you. If you&amp;#039;d rather not haul stuff yourself, call the same number to request Salvation Army Truck pickup; they can usually arrange a pickup within two weeks. Vietnam Veterans of America offers a similar service; click here to get the online donation process started. All photos by Shutterstock.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a1393/simple-ways-to-donate-old-goods-104795/>