Where to Donate a Deceased Loved One's Clothes

Military clothing — dress uniforms, jackets, medals, service ribbons, official military-issued clothing — should not go to generic thrift stores. Veterans organizations maintain specific programs for this material.

Recommended organizations:

• The American Legion — legion.org — accepts uniforms at most local posts; contact the nearest post before dropping off
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) — vfw.org — local posts vary in what they accept; call first
• Vietnam Veterans of America — vva.org — offers home pickup in most U.S. metropolitan areas for larger donations including clothing and household goods
• Purple Heart Foundation — purpleheartfoundation.org — home pickup available in most markets

What they do with uniforms: Some are preserved and displayed at veterans centers. Many are redistributed to veterans in financial need. Medals and decorations are often archived or returned to the family of the deceased if that's requested.

One honest note: If your loved one served and you have uniforms with their name and rank still attached, most veterans organizations recommend removing nametags before donation unless you want that information preserved with the uniform.

Suits, professional dresses, blazers, dress shirts, and dress shoes in good condition have a specific destination that generic thrift stores don't match: dress-for-success programs that help job seekers re-enter the workforce.

Recommended organizations:

• Dress for Success — dressforsuccess.org — women's professional clothing, nearly 150 affiliates across the U.S. (search by ZIP code)
• Career Gear — careergear.org — men's professional attire, roughly 20 affiliate cities in the U.S.
• Suited for Success — regional programs in various states (search "suited for success" + your state)
• Working Wardrobes — workingwardrobes.org — primarily Southern California, full professional wardrobes including shoes

What makes a good donation: Clothing from the last 3–5 years in professional condition. Interview-appropriate, not outdated. Most programs specifically ask for: suits, blazers, dress pants/skirts, button-downs, ties, professional dresses, closed-toe dress shoes in sizes 5–12 women's and 7–13 men's, handbags in neutral colors.

What they typically don't need: Party wear, casual clothing, very worn items, extremely dated styles.

T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, casual dresses, and everyday wear in good condition have the widest donation options but also the most oversupply. The organizations that actually use what they receive:

Recommended organizations:

• Local homeless ministries and shelters — these use casual clothing directly for residents. Call before dropping off — most have specific size and condition requirements.
• Salvation Army — salvationarmyusa.org — operates both donation centers and direct-service programs; offers home pickup in most markets
• St. Vincent de Paul Society — svdpusa.org — Catholic charity with strong direct-to-need distribution networks
• Local churches with clothing closets — most churches with social programs distribute clothing directly to community members in need; call the church office

What they typically accept: Clean, gently-worn casual clothing. All sizes. Both adult and children's clothing.

What they typically reject: Underwear (hygiene concerns, even if clean and unworn), heavily stained items, items with strong odors, anything clearly damaged beyond repair.

Winter coats have seasonal urgency — particularly in November–February in cold-weather markets. Coats in good condition have a specific channel that maximizes impact:

Recommended organizations:

• One Warm Coat — onewarmcoat.org — national coat drive network, partners with thousands of local drives; search their website for a local drive during coat-drive season (typically October–January)
• Operation Warm — operationwarm.org — provides new coats to children in need but also accepts gently-used coats for their community partner programs
• Local homeless outreach programs — most cities have winter coat distribution programs that run November–March

Best-used coats: Warm winter coats (rated for freezing temperatures), waterproof jackets, snow pants, children's snowsuits.

Pro tip: Before donating a winter coat, check the pockets. Most families report finding forgotten keepsakes — notes, photos, small items — in coat pockets. Also check tags for dry-cleaning requirements; coats in clean condition are more likely to reach end recipients.

Beyond dress-for-success programs, women's clothing has specific high-need destinations:

Recommended organizations:

• Women's shelters and domestic violence programs — local shelters typically need casual clothing, professional attire, and basic necessities. Call before dropping off; many have specific intake requirements and times.
• Cancer wellness programs (e.g., Look Good Feel Better) — lookgoodfeelbetter.org — accepts scarves, hats, and wigs for cancer patients
• The Purple Dress Project — regional program accepting formal wear for women attending events
• Becca's Closet — provides prom dresses to teens who can't afford them (mostly regional programs in various U.S. states)

High-need items: Plus-size clothing (chronically under-donated in shelter programs), modest clothing for religious communities, nursing-friendly tops (for new mothers in shelter programs), professional wear for women re-entering the workforce.

Men's clothing beyond business attire has specific channels:

Recommended organizations:

• Veterans Affairs Medical Center thrift programs — many VA hospitals have onsite clothing closets for homeless veterans; call the nearest VA hospital
• Salvation Army rehabilitation programs — salvationarmyusa.org — their rehabilitation programs often have direct clothing needs for participants
• Local men's shelters — often underserved compared to women's shelters; call your city's homeless services department for a list of men's programs
• Goodwill Job Connection programs — when donating through Goodwill, look for Job Connection centers which prioritize clothing for workforce re-entry rather than resale

High-need items: Work boots and sturdy shoes (chronically under-donated), work pants, jackets for outdoor jobs, durable casual wear, dress shoes in larger sizes (12+).

Children's clothing moves quickly in most donation programs and has high direct-to-need potential:

Recommended organizations:

• Local foster care programs — many foster care agencies maintain clothing pantries for children entering care, who often arrive with few belongings. Call your state's Department of Children and Family Services for the nearest intake point.
• Local pediatric hospitals — some accept children's clothing for families of patients; call the hospital social work office
• Project Linus — projectlinus.org — specifically accepts handmade/quilted items but some chapters accept gently-used warm clothing
• Local elementary schools — most public school counselors maintain small clothing closets for students in need

What's most needed: School-appropriate casual clothing, shoes in all sizes, coats and outerwear, infant clothing (constantly high-need), teen clothing (often under-donated).

For clothing that carries particular emotional weight — 20–30 of your loved one's favorite shirts, sweaters, or dresses — a memorial quilt turns the material into a daily-used keepsake rather than a stored donation.

Services worth knowing:

• Too Cool T-Shirt Quilts — toocoolquilts.com — national service, $200–$500 range
• Campus Quilts — campusquilts.com — originally for college memorabilia, also handles memorial quilts
• Project Repat — projectrepat.com — lower price point ($75–$225), some reviewers report variable quality

Typical cost: $200–$500 for a queen-sized quilt from 20–25 shirts.

This works particularly well for: grandparents with decades of collected shirts, parents whose adult children each want a piece, or anyone whose wardrobe was distinctively theirs (concert tees, work uniforms, signature sweaters).

A single favorite shirt or piece of clothing can be turned into a memorial bear, pillow, or small keepsake. Cost: $30–$80 per bear from companies like The Memory Bear Shoppe (Etsy) or Etsy searches for "memorial bear from shirt."

Best for: families with young children who want something tangible from a grandparent or parent; widows or widowers who want to keep a sensory reminder near their bed or reading chair.

For DIY families: a memorial bear sewing pattern or keepsake memorial bear kit on Amazon runs $15–$40 and turns a single shirt into a bear in an afternoon. (Affiliate links — no cost to you.)

Before donating, consider whether specific items would carry meaning for family members who might not think to ask: a grandson who admired his grandfather's leather jacket, a niece who always complimented a specific sweater, an adult child who would treasure a parent's wedding-day suit even if they'd never wear it. A single asking email ("before we donate, does anyone want X, Y, or Z?") often surfaces keepsake wishes that weren't otherwise expressed.