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Donations & Collections

Hotlink Email

Have an item you’d like to donate to a nonprofit agency? The Montgomery County Volunteer Center’s "Hotlink" may be just the resource you are looking for!

We send our weekly Hotlink email list of items available for donation to the 1,000+ agencies registered with us. Interested organizations then contact you directly to arrange pick up. Good items usually go fast! As one recent donor noted, "Your newsletter is a great resource. Over the past three years, we have been able to donate bedroom furniture, folding tables and chairs, a rototiller, and now the computer! All went within a day or so of the newsletter's publication!"

We list donations of home and office furniture, equipment, medical equipment, and much more. All items must be in good condition or better. We do not include clothing, linens, books, televisions (except flat-screen TVs), or food. (See the bottom of this page for lists of organizations that may accept these items.)

To list items for donation, please email the following information to  volunteer@montgomerycountymd.gov:

  • a brief description of the item
  • the condition of the item (must be in good condition or better)
  • the city where the donation will be picked up
  • how you would like to be contacted (email and/or phone)

Information Regarding Tax Deductions: In order for donors to deduct the value of a charitable donation from their taxes, the organization receiving the donation must be considered a qualified organization by the IRS. Organizations are required to provide the donor with a receipt acknowledging the donation. The receipt should include the name and address of the organization, along with the date and a description of the item donated. This can be in the format of a letter on the organization's letterhead.

While the majority of organizations in our database are nonprofit or government organizations qualified to receive donations, some are not. There are some for-profit nursing homes registered with us, as well as some nonprofits such as sports clubs that may not be qualified to receive donations. If you have a question about the suitability of the organization, you can  email us or use the IRS's online organization check tool.

More information about charitable donations can be found in  IRS Publication 526: Charitable Contributions. This document also includes information about how to calculate the value of donated goods.

QUICK GUIDE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT RECEIVE DONATED GOODS:

BOOKS

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

  • Medical Loan Closet of the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew generally accepts walkers, bedside commodes, crutches, canes, wheelchairs. motorized carts, disposable underwear, dressings, prescription formulas, knee immobilizers, enteral feeding, and stoma suppies/equipment. Contact Marilee Tollefson, 301-384-4394 or  office@mystandrew.org
  • DC Shares provides accepts manual wheelchairs, walkers, and other items, which the organization provides to DC residents with an income of less than $20,000 annually.
  • Some local fire stations accept crutches, wheelchairs, and related equipment for loan to area residents.
  • The Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities has compiled a list of medical equipment loan closets that may accept certain types of medical equipment donations. 

FURNITURE, HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, CLOTHING, TOILETRIES, AND MORE  

RECYCLING & DISPOSAL OPTIONS:

If you aren't able to find an organization to accept your items for donation, try Craigslist or Freecycle, or visit the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection's recycling and disposal information page.