Whether you’re downsizing your home, upgrading your furniture or finally tackling that pile of clutter you’ve been meaning to deal with, donating your unwanted items is a great way to give quality furniture and homewares a second chance at life.
The Salvation Army makes it even easier by offering a free pickup service for larger furniture items, particularly handy when a sofa, wardrobe or dining table isn’t exactly going to fit in the back of your car.
But before you start boxing things up, it helps to know what the Salvation Army accepts, what condition your donations need to be in and how the pickup service actually works. This guide covers everything you need to know about donating your items and organising a hassle-free pickup.
The Salvation Army is a Christian-based charity that has been supporting communities in New Zealand since 1883. The Salvation Army provides a wide range of services from counselling for alcohol and gambling addiction to emergency housing and mental health services.
Through its churches, it also provides a wide range of community services, including budgeting advice, foodbanks, crisis counselling, and more. You may even have seen Salvation Army volunteers handing out food and water to people living rough.
As well as conducting charity work within the community, the Salvation Army has over 130 Family Stores around New Zealand. The money raised from selling second-hand goods goes towards their charitable missions and making life better for those impacted by poverty and homelessness.
Donating to the Salvation Army means that some of the profit made from the sale of your furniture helps New Zealanders in need.
While many second-hand shops support great causes (like the Mary Potter Hospice and SPCA Op Shops), not all second-hand stores in New Zealand are charities. Some, like SaveMart, operate as for-profit businesses – even though they use clothing bins that collect ‘donations’.
When you donate to The Salvation Army:
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The Salvation Army’s family stores accept a wide range of items from furniture to kitchen items, clothing, to children’s toys and books. While they do accept a lot of second-hand stuff, there are a few items that stores generally don’t take:
Not sure if your local store will accept your items? You can call the Salvation Army on 0800 4 COLLECT and ask!
Yes. The Salvation Army offers a free pickup service for large furniture items. It’s particularly handy if you don’t have a suitable vehicle, have physical limitations, are short on time or are clearing out several bulky items at once.
There are a few things to know before booking:
The Salvation Army’s pickup service is for used furniture that’s in good condition. They cannot take items that are broken, dirty, stained, or mouldy. Some stores also can’t take soft furnishings and electronics.
Common items for pickup include:
If you're not sure whether a piece is suitable for resale, it’s best to ring your local store and ask.
Arranging a furniture pickup with your local Salvation Army store is easy.
If you prefer doing things online, you can head to the New Zealand website and fill out their pickup form.
You’ll be asked to supply the pickup address, the donation type (whiteware, furniture, clothing) and the day or days that work best for you.
Once you’ve submitted the form, someone from your local store will be in touch to arrange the pickup. Please note that this can take several days and pickup may even be scheduled for a week or more later (which is why it’s best to get in touch a couple of weeks beforehand!
Alternatively, you can call their national phone line on 0800 4 COLLECT to arrange a pickup in person. You’ll need to supply similar information such as the pickup address, information about what you are donating, and your preferred day and time for pickup.
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The Salvation Army’s free pickup service is a great way to declutter your home while giving quality furniture another chance at life. But if you’ve left organising a pickup a little too late, can’t find a time that works with your schedule, or need to get a second-hand furniture find home from a Salvation Army store, Wise Move can help.
Book a reliable and affordable furniture removal team who can handle everything from fridges and whiteware to couches, wardrobes and dining tables. Whether it’s one bulky item or an entire home move, our moving teams make getting heavy furniture from A to B a whole lot easier. Book your furniture move with Wise Move today.
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