donate your stuff

Choose how you would like to donate

  • Drop Off at Our Stores

    We accept most donations at our retail locations during store hours. Review accepted items and exceptions before visiting.

    Drop-Off Information 

  • Donation Containers

    Use a donation bin for smaller donations at your convenience.

    Find a Container 

  • Schedule a Pickup

    For donations of 8+ boxes/bags that meet our requirements

    Learn More and Schedule 

  • Book & Clothing Drives

    Hist a donation drive, spread the word and help support youth job training.

    Run a Drive 

  • Mail Them to Us

    Not local? We welcome donations by mail.

    ...............................

    More Than Words

    Attn: Donations

    242 East. Berekeley St.

    Boston MA 02118

  • Donating Furniture?

    Furniture and oversized items require review prior to pickup or drop-off. Review the guidelines below to get started.

    Furniture Info 

donation guidelines

Please check below before donating

what we accept

We accept items that are gently used, clean, complete, and resalable. Donations that fall outside these guidelines cannot be accepted due to space, safety, and operational limitations.

books, music & video games

Books

  • Most genres, paperback and hardcover
  • Adult, teen, and children’s books
  • Books should be clean and in good condition

We cannot accept:
Encyclopedias
Textbooks more than 10 yrs old
Magazines or periodicals
Books with heavy damage, mold, or missing pages

CDs, DVDs and Video Games

  • Must be in original cases and in good resallable condition.
  • All Genres accepted

Vinyl Records (LP's)

Must be in Original Sleeves

The Following Genres are the most helpful:

  • Rock/Pop
  • Funk
  • Folk
  • Hip/Hop
  • Jazz and R&B

Electronics and Game Systems

Small Home Electronics:

  • Must be in working condition
  • No kitchen appliances

Game systems/consoles

  • Working Condition
  • Gently used accessories such as joysticks, controllers or keyboards.

clothing & accessories

Clothing

  • All genders and ages
  • Clean, gently used, and free of stains or excessive wear

    We cannot accept:
    Underwear or socks
    Clothing with rips, heavy fading, or strong odors

In season clothing is preferred but not required

Shoes

  • Must be in pairs
  • Gently used and wearable
  • All Genders and Sizes

Jewelry & Accessories

  • Bags, backpacks, handbags
  • Belts, hats, scarves
  • Jewelry in wearable condition

Items should be complete and free of damage with working clasps, zippers and attachments.

household items

Housewares

  • Picture Frames, and artwork
  • Candles: unused candles only
  • Lamps and lights in working order
  • Trinkets, odds & ends, figurines
  • Ceramics

Seasonal Decorations

  • Clean, intact and resalable
  • Items with electrical components should be in working condition
  • Large seasonal décor is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Kitchen & Dining

  • Dinnerware and glasses/mugs
  • Serveware
  • Non-electric kitchenware and gadgets in great condition
  • Vintage Cookware

Bedding, Rugs, Pillows

Bedding/Linens/Pillows:

  • GENTLY used
  • No stains, rips, tears or excessive wear
  • Decorative Pillows only

Rugs:

  • Clean without dirt or stains
  • No frayed edges

Games, Puzzles, Toys & Baby

Games:

  • Open and Used games are ok
  • Must be intact and in their original boxes.

Puzzles must be unopened. We are unable to take opened puzzles.

Toys:

  • GENTLY used or new toys
  • No stuffed animals

Baby items:

  • Toys, wearables and clothing ok!
  • We are unable to take used pacifiers or bottles, cribs, car seats or strollers

Sporting Goods

Equipment must be in working condition and clean.

For large sporting goods donations, please use the same review process outlined for furniture below.

Office, Craft & Art Supplies

Arts/Craft Supplies:

  • In good, resalable condition.
  • Kits should be complete and have all parts.
  • Fabric and Yarn should be clean.

Office supplies:

  • Paper - complete reams only please
  • Stickers, tape, scissors, staples, post-it note and other supplies should be in original packaging

We cannot accept the following:

  • Paint
  • Liquid craft components
  • Loose paper and supplies

furniture & oversized items

Furniture and oversized items require photo review before approval and are not automatically accepted for pickup or drop-off.

  • Photo submission is required for all furniture donations.
  • Furniture is accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • Large or oversized furniture is accepted only when space and demand allow.
  • Exercise equipment must be in good working condition and is accepted only when space allows.

For Pickups: Submit furniture through our online pickup scheduler. Please do not email furniture photos separately. Your pickup date will be reserved while our thrift team reviews your furniture separately

Schedule a Furniture Pickup

For Drop-Offs: Submit photos for review before transporting furniture to any of our locations. We will let you know whether your items have been approved for drop-off.

Submit Furniture for Drop-Off Review

items we are unable to take

We appreciate your generosity, but some items can't be used in our program. Accepting them diverts resources from delivering on our mission and actually can hurt our youth-run business.

we cannot accept the following:

  • Appliances

  • Audio Cassettes & VHS

  • Broken, Damaged or Incomplete Items

  • Cleaning Supplies & Chemicals

  • Encyclopedias, Magazines or Periodicals

  • Food or Perishable Items

  • Cribs, Carseats or Strollers

  • Items with Strong Odors, Mold or Mildew

  • Mattresses, Beds, Boxsprings or Bedframes

  • Opened Beauty or Hygiene Products

  • Opened Puzzles

  • Paint or Hazardous Materials

  • Stained, Torn or Heavily worn items.

  • Stuffed Animals

  • Undergarments

dropping off at our stores?

Donations are accepted at select More Than Words locations during designated hours. Please review location-specific instructions below before visiting.

** NOTE: Not all donations can be accepted. Please review our accepted items and furniture guidelines before visiting.

boston

617-865-6473

242 E. Berkeley St.

  • Drop‑off hours: During Open Hours
  • Where to bring donations: Ring bell at side garage door (marked) or bring them into store!
  • Parking notes: Please pull into driveway to drop-off at side door and continue to back lot to turn around.
  • Large Donations (20+ boxes/bags): Please contact the store in advance so staff can prepare for your arrival
See Store Details

waltham

781-314-9330

56 Felton St.

  • Drop‑off hours: During Open Hours
  • Where to bring donations: Us the outdoor donation bins or bring them through the first garage door.
  • Parking notes: Please park in marked parking spots when dropping off.
  • Large Donations (20+ boxes/bags): Please contact the store in advance so staff can prepare for your arrival.
See Store Details

cambridge

**APPOINTMENT REQUIRED**

Due to our limited sales floor and storage space, donations are accepted only if you call ahead and confirm a drop-off time.

617-749-4278

563 Massachusetts Ave.

  • Drop‑off hours: During Open Hours
  • Where to leave donations: Bring to back door and ring bell or into the store
  • Parking notes: Public parking is available behind our storefront
See Store Details