Eleven charities run donation pickup trucks. Most cover only part of the country, and each has its own rules.
A charity picks up for free when it can resell or give away what it collects; that is what pays for the truck and the crew. So every program on this list has a service area, an item list and a condition standard, and the answer to “will they come?” depends on your zip code and what you have. Below is what each one takes and where it operates, drawn from the charities’ own sites, followed by the local nonprofits that cover the gaps.
If you would rather not call around, enter your zip code and we send your request to the nonprofit partners that pick up in your area. The pickup is free when a partner accepts your items.
Charities that pick up donations, at a glance
| Charity | Where it picks up | Furniture | Clothing and household goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Nationwide, by zip code | Yes: sofas, beds, tables, chairs, dressers in good condition | Yes |
| Habitat for Humanity ReStore | Nationwide, store by store | Yes, plus appliances and building materials | Some stores |
| Goodwill | A few regions only | Rarely | Drop-off mostly |
| St. Vincent de Paul | Local councils with trucks (Dayton, Madison, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and others) | Yes, the main item | Yes |
| Vietnam Veterans of America (Pickup Please) | More than a dozen states | Small pieces only | Yes |
| AMVETS | Pockets of MD, DC, VA, DE, TX, OK, IL, IN | Yes, in good condition | Yes |
| Disabled American Veterans | State by state (Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota) | Yes, where a thrift operation runs trucks | Yes |
| Purple Heart (via GreenDrop) | VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ, NY | Solid wood under about 50 lb | Yes |
| American Red Cross (via GreenDrop) | Same GreenDrop footprint | Solid wood under about 50 lb | Yes |
| The Arc | State programs | Under 50 lb, one-person lift | Yes, bagged or boxed |
| Local thrift stores and rescue missions | Your city | Yes, usually the best option for large pieces | Yes |
Salvation Army
The widest free pickup program in the country. You enter a zip code on the Salvation Army’s scheduling site and pick a date. Trucks take sofas, beds, mattresses in clean condition, desks, cabinets, tables and dining sets, and the family stores resell them to fund the Adult Rehabilitation Centers. They turn away particle-board furniture, metal desks, TV armoires, car seats and high chairs. Lead times run from a few days to a few weeks depending on the city. How Salvation Army pickup works, and what to do if they can’t come.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Habitat says most of its ReStores pick up furniture, and many also collect appliances and building materials, at no charge. Every ReStore is run by a local affiliate that sets its own service area and item list, so the store nearest you may run a truck three days a week or none at all. Mattresses are the item ReStores most often decline. What to expect from a ReStore pickup.
Goodwill
Goodwill is a network of independent regional organizations, and most of them do not pick up. The standard answer is to bring items to a donation center during drop-off hours; some regions decline furniture entirely because they lack the floor space to sell it. A few Goodwills do run trucks. How to check whether yours is one of them.
St. Vincent de Paul
Like Habitat, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is organized locally. Councils that run thrift stores, including Dayton, Madison, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Evansville, Appleton and Pittsburgh, schedule home pickups through their own websites, and furniture is the main thing they come for. Councils without a store usually have no truck. Search for “St. Vincent de Paul” plus your city to find the right council.
Veterans charities: VVA, AMVETS, DAV and Purple Heart
Four veterans organizations run pickup programs, each covering a different part of the country. Vietnam Veterans of America (through Pickup Please) is the most widely available, with routes in more than a dozen states, but it only takes what one person can carry: no couches, mattresses or large appliances. AMVETS picks up in parts of Maryland, DC, Virginia, Delaware, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Indiana and does take furniture in good condition. Disabled American Veterans pickups are run by state DAV thrift operations in Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. Purple Heart pickups are handled by GreenDrop in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and are limited to solid wood pieces under about 50 pounds. The full comparison of veterans donation pickup programs.
American Red Cross
The Red Cross does not run its own trucks. Its clothing and household-goods pickups are handled by GreenDrop, the same company that collects for the Purple Heart and the National Federation of the Blind, which pays the charity for what it collects. Home pickup runs in Virginia, Maryland, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, and the furniture rule is the same: solid wood under about 50 pounds, nothing upholstered.
The Arc
The Arc’s state chapters fund their disability programs through thrift stores, and several run pickup services. Items need to be bagged or boxed and light enough for one driver to lift, which rules out beds, couches, built-in appliances and large TVs. Small furniture under 50 pounds is fine.
Local thrift stores and rescue missions
This is where most free furniture pickups happen. Rescue missions and local thrift nonprofits run trucks in their own cities, take large furniture the national programs refuse, and resell it to fund shelters, meals and recovery programs. KARM Stores in Knoxville, Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids, Waterfront Rescue Mission in Pensacola, Hope Ministries in Des Moines and Thrift World in Kansas City are a few of the partners in our network. None of them show up when you search for a national charity, which is the problem PickUpMyDonation exists to solve.
Enter your zip code, describe what you have, and we send the request to the partners who pick up in your area. Each one decides based on condition, demand and its route; a partner that can take your items contacts you within about 48 hours to set a time. If you do not hear from anyone, Priority Pickup is available in most areas: a local hauler quotes a fee up front and your items still go to a nonprofit when they are in usable condition.
Frequently asked questions
Which charity picks up furniture for free?
Salvation Army and Habitat ReStores are the national programs that take full-size furniture. Among the veterans charities, AMVETS and the DAV thrift operations do; Pickup Please and GreenDrop do not. Local rescue missions and thrift nonprofits take the most, and our form reaches them. See what furniture qualifies for free pickup.
Do any charities pick up mattresses?
Salvation Army takes clean, undamaged mattresses in many areas. Habitat ReStores, Pickup Please, GreenDrop and The Arc generally refuse them. Some local partners in our network accept them; enter your zip code and the form checks.
How far ahead do I need to schedule?
It varies by charity and city, from a few days to a few weeks. Spring and the end-of-month moving rush fill routes first, so give a range of dates when you can.
What if no charity serves my zip code?
Enter it on our form anyway. Many local nonprofits pick up without appearing in any national list, and if none can take your items, Priority Pickup pairs you with a local hauler who quotes a fee up front.