Where to Donate School Supplies/Office Supplies: 18 Options Listed

Donations are a good way to help people in your community who are less fortunate or have fallen on hard times. In addition to getting the satisfaction of helping someone in need, you can often get a tax deduction from your donation. Donating school supplies and office supplies is a very simple process, and many places will even schedule a free pickup of your items or cover shipping charges. Below, we have the list of thrift stores, chain stores, charitable organizations, and websites that accept donations of school and office supplies.

Comparison Table: Where to Donate School/Office Supplies

You can use the table below to compare the donation policies at the places that accept donations of school and office supplies, then click any organization or scroll for more details.

Where to Donate School and Office Supplies

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores accept donations of a wide variety of goods. They take new and used items and can usually provide a tax receipt so you can deduct your donation.

American Veterans (AMVET)

• Accepted donations: A wide variety of new and used items
• Donation process: Drop off your items or schedule a pickup online
• Tax-deductible? Yes; you will be provided a receipt at the time of donation.
• Find an AMVET thrift store or see if you can schedule a pickup in your area

Furniture Bank Association of America

• Accepted donations: New and lightly used office furniture. Other items accepted will vary based on location and needs.
• Donation process: Drop off items at your nearby Furniture Bank Association of America or schedule a pickup. Most locations offer pickups with a 25-mile radius.
• Tax-deductible? No
• Find a Furniture Bank Association of America

Goodwill

• Accepted donations: New and used supplies of all types
• Donation process: Drop off your items or call and ask if your local store has pickup options — only some locations offer pickup.
• Tax-deductible? Yes; ask for a receipt when you drop off items.
• Find a Goodwill

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

• Accepted donations: New and used items. Typically, ReStore locations will always accept office furniture but may also need other common household, school, and office supplies. The ReStore donation page states that each store is unique and that many stores will accept a wide variety of items. Habitat for Humanity recommends calling a location to confirm it can handle your donation.
• Donation process: Drop off your items at a local store or call and ask if it has a pickup option — only some locations do.
• Tax-deductible? Yes
• Find a Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Rescue Mission Alliance (California)

• Accepted donations: New and used items in working order. (See the website for a full list.)
• Donation process: Drop off your items or schedule a pickup online
• Tax-deductible? Yes. You can get a receipt at the time of donating or request a receipt online.
• Find a Rescue Mission Alliance donation center or schedule a pickup

Salvation Army

• Accepted donations: New and used items in good condition. (See the website for a full list.)
• Donation process: Drop off your items at a Salvation Army donation center or schedule a pickup online.
• Tax-deductible? Yes, ask for a receipt when you drop off donated items.
• Find a Salvation Army or schedule a pickup

Savers

• Accepted donations: New and used small office furniture, clothing, a wide variety of school supplies, some electronics, and books. (See the website for a full list.)
• Donation process: You can either drop off your items at a Savers store or schedule a pickup online.
• Tax-deductible? Varies by location and state; see the Savers disclosures page to find out if your donation is tax-deductible.
• Find a Savers or schedule a pickup

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)

• Accepted donations: Vietnam Veterans of America states that its stores will accept “almost anything,” new or used. (See the website for a full list.)
• Donation process: Drop off your items or schedule a pickup online
• Tax-deductible? Yes. If you drop items off at a nearby store, ask for a receipt. If you schedule a pickup, the driver will leave a receipt on your door.
• Find a Vietnam Veterans of America donation center or schedule a pickup.

Retail Stores

We were unable to find any chain retail stores that accept school or office supply donations year-round, but several stores hold school supply drives around the beginning of the school year.

Office Depot/OfficeMax

• Accepted donations: Office Depot and OfficeMax collect school supplies around the end of summer and the beginning of the school year to donate to local Title I schools. The retailers also have a Give Back to Schools program, which donates a portion of the customer’s purchase to a local school.
• Donation process: Buy new school supplies in-store or bring in new/like-new school supplies. Bins will be placed at the front of the store to collect donations.
• Tax-deductible? No; tax receipts are not offered.
• Find an Office Depot/OfficeMax

Staples

• Accepted donations: Staples has collected new school and like-new supplies, books, and backpacks in previous donation drives.
• Donation process: Varies by event
• Tax-deductible? Generally, no, but this may vary by event.
• Find a Staples

Walmart

• Accepted donations: New and like-new school supplies
• Donation process: Usually, there will be bins located near the entrances of the store where you can drop off supplies.
• Tax-deductible? Generally, no; tax receipts are usually not available.
• Find a Walmart — event availability varies by store.

Our article has more information about donating used eyeglasses at Walmart.

Charitable Foundations

The following charitable foundations support underprivileged children and help ensure they have the supplies required to succeed in school. Both of these options accept donations by mail.

Kids In Need Foundation

• Accepted donations: New school supplies for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Used items are accepted on a “case-by-case basis.”
• Donation process: Box up your extra school supplies and get a free shipping label from Kids In Need to donate your items by mail. (Note: Only new items qualify for free shipping.)
• Tax-deductible? Yes
• Get your free shipping label or see more about donation options

Schools on Wheels

• Accepted donations: New school supplies. (See the website for a full list.)
• Donation process: Schools on Wheels has physical locations around the Los Angeles area, but it also accepts mail-in donations.
• Tax-deductible? Yes. If you mail in items, you will be sent a thank you letter with a receipt confirming your donation.
• Find a School on Wheels location

Online Donation Options

Online donation websites match donations with charities and organizations that are looking for supplies. Online sites make it easy to donate nearly any item school supply but do require that you mail your items once a match is found.

Recycles.org

• Accepted donations: New and used items. Recycles.org asks that you be truthful in your item description, so the matched organization knows what it will be receiving.
• Donation process: Enter a description of your item on the donation page. The item will then be posted on an online bulletin board where others in need will be able to view it. If a charity or organization is interested in your item, it’ll contact you about shipping the item or meeting for pickup. You remain anonymous until you accept an offer.
• Tax-deductible? Varies based on who receives your item
• Donate your item on Recycles.org

Local Donation Sites

There are a few other options for local places to donate your extra school and office supplies. Schools and shelters may be willing to accept donations directly, or you can find another supply drive through your local news organizations.

Homeless Shelters, Halfway Homes, and Other Shelters

• Accepted donations: Varies by the organization, but most will take used and new items.
• Donation process: Find a shelter or location near you and call to ask about dropping off donated items.
• Tax-deductible? Varies by organization
• Find a homeless or recovery shelter

Hospitals

• Accepted donations: New and gently used items. Most hospitals, including Shriners, ask you to call ahead to confirm that they need your items.
• Donation process: Drop off items at one of their locations
• Tax-deductible? In most cases, yes
• Find a Shriners Hospital or another local hospital

News Stations and Newspapers

• Donation process: Local news stations often host supply drives, while both news stations and newspapers frequently highlight local fundraising efforts and charitable events. Go to your local news station or newspaper’s website and search for donation options or community events.
• Tax-deductible? Varies by event
• Start with a Google search for “news station/newspaper office near me.”

Schools

• Accepted donations: New and like-new school supply items.
• Donation process: Ask any teacher, and they will tell you there is always a need for basic school supplies like paper and pencils in the classroom. Call and ask a local school if it will accept dropped-off items or if it knows of any nearby school supply drives.
• Tax-deductible? Varies by donation
• Find a public school

In Summary

Your school or office supply donations can make a huge difference in the lives of those who need them. Many places will accept these items for donation, including thrift stores like Savers, school supply drives at local stores, charitable foundations, charity-matching websites, and even local schools themselves. In many cases, you can get a tax receipt for your donation or schedule a convenient pickup to save you a trip to the store.

If you’re considering donating food as well, our article lists where you can find a food bank near you.