Four veterans charities run pickup trucks. Each covers different states and has its own furniture rules.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV), AMVETS, Vietnam Veterans of America (through its Pickup Please program) and the Military Order of the Purple Heart (through GreenDrop) all pick up donations from homes. None of them covers the whole country, and two of the four will not take a couch. This page lays out what each program picks up and where, so you can tell in a minute whether one serves your address.
If you would rather skip the research, enter your zip code and we send your request to the nonprofit partners that pick up in your area. In Missouri that includes the DAV’s own Red Racks thrift stores. The pickup is free when a partner accepts your items. If no nonprofit can take them, you can choose Priority Pickup and a local hauler quotes a fee before you book.
The four programs at a glance
| Program | Who runs the trucks | Where it picks up | Furniture |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAV | State DAV departments through their thrift stores (Red Racks in Missouri; DAV thrift stores in Iowa and Minnesota) | State by state, mostly the Midwest | Yes, where a thrift operation runs a truck |
| AMVETS | AMVETS state departments and licensed pickup services | Pockets of MD, DC, VA, DE, TX, OK, IL and IN | Yes, in good condition; no stained or ripped mattresses, no large appliances |
| VVA (Pickup Please) | Vietnam Veterans of America’s national program | More than a dozen states, including CA, FL, NY, NJ, PA, MI, VA and MD | Small pieces only; no couches, sleeper sofas, mattresses or box springs |
| Purple Heart (GreenDrop) | GreenDrop, a company that collects for the charity and pays it per donation | VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ and NY | Solid wood under about 50 pounds; nothing upholstered |
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
DAV has no single national pickup line. Its state departments fund their work partly through thrift stores, and those stores run the trucks. In Missouri that is Red Racks, which operates 11 stores around Kansas City, Springfield, Joplin and St. Joseph and picks up furniture, bagged clothing and household goods at no charge. Red Racks is a PickUpMyDonation partner, so a request from a Missouri zip code reaches them through our form. Iowa and Minnesota have their own DAV thrift pickups. Most other states have none, which is why a search for “DAV pickup” so often ends at a store that is hours away.
Sales fund DAV’s rides to VA medical appointments, help with benefits claims and employment programs for veterans.
AMVETS
AMVETS pickups are regional too. One operation covers parts of Maryland, DC, Virginia, Delaware, Texas and Oklahoma; another covers Illinois and Indiana. AMVETS takes furniture and large household items in good condition and asks that you call rather than use the web form for big pieces. It refuses stained or ripped mattresses and large appliances such as washers, refrigerators and stoves. If your zip code is outside one of its pockets, the scheduling form will not offer a date.
Vietnam Veterans of America (Pickup Please)
Pickup Please is the VVA’s donation program and the most widely available of the four, with routes in more than a dozen states including California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia and Maryland. You schedule online, label bags or boxes with the charity name and leave them outside on pickup day; a driver collects them rain or shine.
The limit is size. Pickup Please only takes what one person can lift and carry, so it accepts clothing, shoes, toys, books, small furnishings and electronics but refuses couches, sleeper sofas, mattresses, box springs and large appliances, and is not taking TVs at the moment.
Military Order of the Purple Heart (GreenDrop)
Purple Heart pickups are handled by GreenDrop, a company that collects clothing and household goods on behalf of several nonprofits and pays them for the donations. Home pickup runs in Virginia, Maryland, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. GreenDrop takes solid wood furniture under about 50 pounds, such as end tables, lamps, nightstands and wooden chairs. It does not take heavy or upholstered pieces.
Have a couch, a mattress or a whole room to clear?
Two of the four veterans programs will not take a sofa at all, and all four turn away damaged mattresses. For larger furniture, read what qualifies for free furniture donation pickup. Our form reaches local thrift stores and ministries whose trucks are built for furniture, and if nothing qualifies, Priority Pickup takes it for a quoted fee. Wondering about the big national names instead? See whether Goodwill picks up furniture and how Salvation Army pickup works.
How PickUpMyDonation fits in
PickUpMyDonation routes requests; the nonprofits do the pickups. You fill out one form and we send it to the partners who pick up in your zip code, veteran-run thrift stores among them. Each partner decides whether it can take your items based on condition, demand and its route, so a match is not guaranteed. 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.
Frequently asked questions
Does the DAV pick up furniture?
In states where a DAV thrift operation runs trucks, yes. Red Racks in Missouri picks up furniture at no charge around Kansas City, Springfield, Joplin and St. Joseph. In most other states DAV has no pickup service.
Which veterans charity picks up in the most places?
Pickup Please, the Vietnam Veterans of America program, with routes in more than a dozen states. It only takes items one person can carry, so it is the best fit for clothing and household goods rather than furniture.
Do veterans charities pick up mattresses?
Generally no. Pickup Please and GreenDrop refuse them outright and AMVETS refuses stained or ripped ones. Some local nonprofit partners in our network take clean, undamaged mattresses; enter your zip code and the form checks.
Is a veterans donation pickup free?
With all four programs, yes, where they serve your address and accept your items. Through our form the pickup is also free when a partner accepts. Priority Pickup, for items no nonprofit can take, is a paid service with the price quoted before you book.