I regularly read posts on social media asking where best to donate old clothes, shoes, toys, household items, electrical devices, furniture etc. So I thought it would be a good idea to collect all the suggestions I have seen and list them here for ease of reference. Because what better way to help others, and the environment, than to ensure that nothing gets thrown away that can be reused or recycled! I’ve listed by town, as I’m assuming most people prefer to donate as locally as possible to avoid unnecessary journeys. Please check the website for the times you can drop off donations (Spendenannahme / Annahme von Spenden) and whether you need to arrange a drop-off appointment! (Remember your browser will usually translate websites for you if click on the icon in the toolbar or right click (depending on which one you use.)
List of places that accept donations:
Frankfurt:
GFFB Mainzer Landstr (Mainzer Landstraße 349) https://www.gffb.de/angebote/angebote-fuer-buergerinnen/world-shop/
Do accept: Clothing, toys
Caritas Kleiderhaus am Allee (Kleider im Werkhof, Gotenstraße 38, 65929 Frankfurt) https://www.caritas-frankfurt.de/spenden/sachspenden/sachspenden
Do accept: clothing, small electrical devices, household goods, toys, other items in good condition
Don’t accept: furniture or large electrical appliances
Familienmarkt Frankfurt (Röntgenstraße 10, 60388 F-Bergen-Enkheim) http://www.familienmarkt-frankfurt.de/spenden.php
Do accept: clothing, household items, furniture (please contact them first)
They even pick up within Frankfurt.
Neufundland Frankfurt (Lärchenstraße 135, F-Griesheim) https://www.neufundland-frankfurt.de/gutes-tun
Do accept: furniture, electrical appliances, clothing
They also collect large donations from your home.
OXFAM shops in Frankfurt
They are very careful about what they accept, so check this information here before you take in a donation: https://shops.oxfam.de/sachen-spenden/spenden
Books: Töngesgasse 35 (city centre)
Clothing: Schweizer Str. 57 (Sachsenhausen) and Leipziger Str. 54 (Bockenheim)
Mix (clothing, books, toys, household items): Oederweg 28 and Merianplatz 5 (Nordend/Bornheim)
Bad Homburg v.d.H.:
Caritas Laden (Dorotheenstraße 9-11, 61348 Bad Homburg) https://www.caritas-hochtaunus.de/einrichtungen-vor-ort/bad-homburg/caritas-laden/caritas-laden
Do accept: Clothes incl. maternity clothes, shoes, bed linen, things for babies, toys, small household items (except glasses)
Don’t accept: Furniture, electrical devices, soft toys, bike helmets, child car seats
Spendenzentrum donation centre for refugees (Gluckensteinweg 101, 61350 Bad Homburg)
Website has a list of the items currently needed.
Königstein:
Kleiderstube (Gerichtstr. 3, 61462 Königstein) http://drk-koenigstein.de/angebote/kleiderstube
Do accept: clothing and shoes, bed linen, crockery, household items/deco
Oberursel:
Anzieheck Oberursel (Hohemarkstr. 27, 61440 Oberursel) https://auferstehungskirche-oberursel.evangelisch-hochtaunus.de/rat-hilfe/oekumenisches-kleiderlager/s77.html
Do accept: seasonal clothes (i.e. only winter clothing in the winter!)
Schwalbach am Taunus:
Anziehpunkt Schwalbach (Marktplatz 7, 65824 Schwalbach) https://www.caritas.de/adressen/second-hand-shop-anziehpunkt/caritasverband-fuer-den-bezirk-main-taunus-e.v/65824-schwalbach/105062
Do accept: Clothing and shoes, baby equipment, bed linen and towels, toys, household items, children’s beds and car seats
Neu Anspach:
Caritas Laden (Siemensstr. 21-23) https://www.caritas-hochtaunus.de/einrichtungen-vor-ort/neu-anspach/caritas-laden/caritas-laden
Do accept: Clothes, shoes, bed linen, things for babies, toys, small household items
Don’t accept: Furniture, electrical devices, soft toys
Taunusdienste Neu-Anspach https://taunusdienste.de/moebelzentrum/
Do accept: furniture (they collect)
Weilrod:
Kleiderkammer der Flüchtlingshilfe http://www.xn--flchtlingshilfe-weilrod-dpc.de/sachspende/
Do accept: clothing and household items, but please check the list online or contact them
Usingen:
Freiwillingen-Agentur Usinger Land (Bahnhofstr. 27) http://www.freiwilligen-agentur.net/unsere-projekte-angebote/sachspendenvermittlung-im-hochtaunuskreis/
Do accept: household items, games, office equipment and stationery, small electrical devices
If you have pairs of wearable shoes or clothing/curtains, bed linen, blankets, etc. that is clean but no longer wearable you can also put them into the charity clothing bins of DRK (German Red Cross) or Malteser. The clothes are sorted at big warehouses, and good-quality ones are sold on, whereas clothes that cannot are reused as clothing are recycled, with the material being used to make products such as car seat covers and cleaning cloths, which also raises money for the charity. But please be careful – material that cannot be reused or recycled has to be disposed of, and the charities have to pay for that, so if the items are too bad then your black bin at home is the best place for them!
You can search for your nearest clothing bin here: https://www.drk.de/hilfe-in-deutschland/existenzsichernde-hilfe/kleidercontainer/ .
Please make sure you put the clothes in strong plastic bags to prevent them being ruined if (as sadly often happens) rubbish etc. is thrown into the bins.
Also, did you know that many towns have a “repair café” where you can take broken electrical devices and volunteers see whether they can repair them. You only have to pay for any spare parts they need. Check out the town website or local Facebook group for details.
Many towns also have “book cupboards” where you can deposit books you no longer need and also take any you like the look of. Search for Bücherschrank to find one near you, they often have foreign-language books, too.
And if you have things to donate and need help communicating with the organisation you’d like to donate to, or have an organisation you’d like me to add to this list, feel free to message me at info@nestsandwings.de!