New and Unused Blankets (StumpJumper)

I noticed and interesting bulletin in our church newsletter yesterday. All Catholic parishes undertake charitable works and the one that I attend is no different. For this particular charity the parish is asking the parishioners to donate blankets. My mother's parish did the same thing recently so I assume that this is part of a drive at a higher level in the church hierarchy. The only reason that I remember my mother's parish soliciting donations is because I have blankets that I would like to donate. I purchased these blankets when I moved from Colorado to Ohio. I needed some blankets to cover furniture in the moving truck. I bought a half-dozen inexpensive fleece blankets from Target. They were used once - to cover my furniture in the truck. After I moved into my house I washed them and put them in the linen closet. They have not been used since so they are in perfect condition. When I saw that my mother's parish was collecting I made a mental note to give these blankets once my parish began soliciting donations. When I saw the bulletin in the newsletter I was reminded of my intent. That is when I noticed the three key words: "new and unused." Apparently, my blankets aren't good enough for my parish.

I've noticed this trend over the past few years. It seems that many charities are becoming awfully picky in what they will accept. My mother always taught me that "beggars can't be choosers" but this old adage no longer seems to apply. Increasingly "beggars" are becoming "choosers" and my willingness to give to charity seems to be decreasing proportionally. Both of these trends need reversed.

In all fairness, some charities have good reason for a level of discrimination in accepting donations. I once tried to donate a hide-a-bed to Goodwill. They refused the donation. They very politely explained that they cannot accept mattresses because the cost to sanitize a used mattress is greater than the cost to purchase a new mattress. They were very polite and respectful in their refusal and they were extremely thankful for my gesture. I have never faulted them for this and have continued to give to Goodwill over the years. Their refusal was justified and their attitude was appropriate. Unfortunately, they seem to increasingly be the exception and not the rule.

Far too often these days I receive solicitations from charities that place unreasonably high standards on the items that they request. What I consider to be an "unreasonably high standard" is, in this case, "new and unused." Far too frequently charities will only accept new, often unopened, items as donations. This is reasonable for food, but blankets? Certainly a standard for donations must be maintained. A blanket that is full of holes, stained, and odorous should be unacceptable. Blankets that have been used only once and are in perfect condition should be acceptable, however. Isn't this the whole point of charity? I have an item in excess. I face no financial hardship by giving the excess items since I am not using them. I get to feel good about myself because I have done something good and a person in need receives assistance. It is a win-win situation. When the priest suggested at the end of mass that we should go and purchase blankets for donation what he was really doing was soliciting money.

Make no mistake, I have no problem with cash contributions. I regularly give money to my parish and less regularly (to my chagrin) give cash to other private charities. Giving money places a greater financial strain on me than donating excess items that I have at home, and that is my whole problem with the "new and unused" approach to soliciting charity donations. As more and more charities begin to refuse used items as donations the number of donations will decrease while the number of used but perfectly good items going into the trash will increase. This helps no one.

I am perfectly willing to accept a standard of "in good condition" when a charity solicits donations. Unless a clear and valid reason can be offered, I will no longer accept the idea of charities accepting only "new and unused" items. Some will call me a cold and uncharitable person because of this and that is unfortunate. I am not saying that I will stop giving to charity. I give to charities for both secular and religious reasons and will continue to do so. I will simply be more discerning when deciding which charities to give to. All charities are not equal and only those that pass muster should receive our donations.

I will find someone to donate those blankets to, it simply won't be my parish.

NOTE: I attempted to contact my parish this morning and ask about the "new and unused" requirement. Neither the priest nor the person managing the blanket drive was there (I belong to a small parish). They may actually have a good reason to only want new and unused blankets and I will update this post if I learn more.