Rachel Peterson is community engagement coordinator for a domestic and sexual violence crisis services organization. Her work involves requesting, sorting and transporting physical donations. She sent me a column to consider running in CITYVIEW. The timing didn’t work, but her thoughts do, as she made me rethink how and why I donate. She said she has learned quite a bit.
“I learned that heat kills bedbugs,” she shared. “I learned that our shelter goes through 400 rolls of toilet paper annually, and, most importantly, I learned that we, as a society, desperately need to reassess how and why we donate.”
She claims “proof of privilege” is found in the things people donate to the shelter, and it has become clear that many donors do not understand the difference between need and want.
“A hotdog toaster — yes, they’re real, look it up — is not going to help a person who is moving out of a shelter into an apartment where they don’t even have forks. A yoga ball — deflated, no pump — isn’t going to do anything for women who have to rely on donations to get tampons.”
She wrote how she now understands that some people use donation bins as a way to unload their clutter, all while feeling good about their seemingly charitable act.
“Stained clothes. Broken toys. Half-empty body wash. The haunted-looking clown doll —initially amusing, then infuriating. Why did anyone think that this was something a domestic violence survivor might need?”
Peterson “lost it” when she got a call asking if the shelter had any use for puppets.
“No, our clients don’t need puppets. They need things like deodorant and shampoo. Unopened, unused deodorant and shampoo. Items that can help them rebuild after a crisis. And yet, people are donating items that have no place in the reality of the people we serve.”
The reality is that not all donations are helpful, she said, and in many cases, they create additional burdens for the organizations receiving them.
“For those who dislike throwing things away, I understand. I’m the same way. But nonprofits don’t have the time, resources or staff to fix a broken blender or scrub a stain out of a sweater.”
Peterson said, when these items are donated, volunteers are tasked with throwing them away. Even so, she understands, better than most, how thoughtful giving can be inspiring.
“Church groups and small businesses have come together to collect new toys and pajamas around the holidays… Quilting clubs donate handmade quilts… A young woman comes by like clockwork to drop off a box of diapers or a few tubes of toothpaste. These acts of giving stand out because they show empathy, respect and an understanding of the value these items bring to survivors’ lives.”
Those are honest words that may make us all rethink how and why we donate. Thank you, Rachel.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
