Be aware that some organizations are not accepting donations or are only taking them by appointment during the pandemic.
There are many non-profit organizations in the Champaign-Urbana area that accept donations all year. My ISTC colleague Joy Scrogum compiled a list awhile back and I’ve added to it. If there are any I missed, let me know in the comments.
Note that the City of Champaign Public Works Department has a good list of alternatives on their Where Do I Recycle, Donate, or Dispose of It? page.
Non-profit organizations
Champaign County Humane Society
Accepts a variety of items for donation, including cleaning and office supplies. Check their wish list for specifics.
Champaign-Urbana Theater Company (CUTC)
Accepts limited donations of clothing and other items for use as costumes and props. Accepts latex paint if the can is at least 1/2 full. They will also accept lumber and other set construction materials if they are whole and in good condition (no scraps). Contact the costume manager (costumes@cutc.org) for clothing donations and the company’s executive director (manager@cutc.org) for all other items.
Courage Connection accepts donations of gently used clothing and shoes. See their website for current needs.
Crisis Nursery
Crisis Nursery works to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing 24-hour emergency care for children and support to strengthen families in crisis. See Items can be dropped off M-F 8-5. Check their wish list for current needs.. Contact: 217-337-2731
Goodwill/Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, Inc.
Goodwill has locations in Champaign, Savoy (where the old Pages for All Ages book store used to be in the Savoy Plaza) and the LaBelle Boutique in Urbana. Donations are accepted Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to store closing and on Sunday from noon to store closing. Donations are tax-deductible. Before you go, check their list of acceptable and unacceptable donations.
Goodwill participates in Dell’s Reconnect electronics recycling program. Acceptable computer equipment includes:
- desktop and laptop computers,
- monitors (only flatscreen monitors and TVs in working condition — NO CRTs),
- printers,
- ink and toner cartridges,
- keyboards,
- mice,
- speakers,
- external hard drives,
- power cords,
- USB drives,
- servers
- computer software CDs.
The Recycle / Reuse Unwanted Electronics E-guide for Residents of Champaign County, Illinois has a list of other local businesses that accept unwanted electronics for reuse and recycling. Illinois banned the disposal of electronic items from landfills in 2012.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
The main store address is 119 East University Avenue, Champaign. See their website for a list of acceptable items. Donations are accepted at the store Monday – Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-4pm. To arrange a pick up for donations call (217) 355-6460. The ReStore is open Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-4pm. Note that there may be a fee for pick up or delivery of items. Contact: 217-359-0507 or 217-819-5118; restore@cuhabitat.org
The Idea Store
The Idea Store is a materials-for-the-arts and educational reuse store where you can donate a variety of items that would otherwise go to the landfill. Donations are tax deductible. Their donation list includes almost anything that might be used for craft projects and office/school supplies. Read more about the IDEA Store here or watch ISTC’s Fall 2020 sustainability seminar with co-founder Carol Jo Morgan.
Teachers, keep the Idea Store in mind if you need supplies for class projects or extra school supplies. You can often get a lot of material for a small price. Items are often sold by the pound. In the fall, they highlight items that appear on school supply lists. If you’re looking for a particular type of material, you can let them know and they’ll contact you if they receive anything that fits your needs. Contact: 217-352-7878; info@the-idea-store.org
The Champaign Lions Clubs collects used eyeglasses, sunglasses and hearing aids for the Lions International Program, which recycles glasses at 17 centers worldwide. Also accepted are cell phones, empty ink cartridges (not toner), and keys. Check their website for collection locations. Contact: 309-863-5335
Local libraries
Most area libraries (including the University of Illinois) accept used books, CDs & DVDs. If you don’t see your library on the list below, contact them directly to inquire about making a donation.
- Allerton Public Library District (Monticello) Donation Policy (on p. 24 of Library Policy Manual)
- Champaign Public Library Donation Policy
- Mahomet Public Library Donation Policy
- Tolono Public Library Donation Guidelines
- Urbana Free Library Donation Policy
- University of Illinois Library Donation Policy
Park district camps and preschools
Contact the Champaign or Urbana Park Districts to donate gently used books, educational items, school supplies, or craft supplies.
- Champaign Park District Summer Youth Program, Springer Cultural Center: Melanie Kahler, 217-819-3919; melanie.kahler@cparkdistrict.com. See the Champaign Park District for specific contacts for programs at other Champaign Park District locations.
- Anita Purves Nature Center: 217-384-4062; Savannah Donovan is the educational services contact. See the Urbana Park District website for specific contact info for the various Urbana Park District camps.
Preservation and Conservation Association (PACA)
PACA accepts architectural pieces (doors, windows, fixtures, etc.), furniture, storage items like filing cabinets, and even small home décor items. Contact them if you have items you think they might be interested in to determine if they will accept the item and/or have space for it. The warehouse is at 44 E Washington St, Champaign, IL. Their warehouse hours are Tuesday 10-4, Wed. 10-7, Th & F 10-4 & Sat. 9-12. Contact: 217-359-7222; pacaexdir@gmail.com.
Three Spinners
Three Spinners accepts donations of clothes, school supplies, and household items. They use furniture and household items to help furnish the homes of newly arrived refugee families in Champaign-Urbana. They also work with Refugee and Immigrant Services in Indianapolis by providing clothing and children’s items and RefugeeOne in Chicago by providing school supplies and rent-assistance. Donations that cannot be used are donated to other charities in the C-U community.
Salt & Light Ministries
Salt & Light accepts clothing, furniture (subject to approval), appliances, household items, shoes, children’s toys, linens (sheets, blankets, towels), books, electronics, DVDs, CDs, and jewelry. Donations are accepted at any time of day in their donation bins. You can also drop off Monday through Saturday, 9am-8pm.
University YMCA Dump and Run
Each year as students leave campus in droves, lots of useful materials end up headed to the landfill. The University YMCA Dump & Run collects some of this material and then sells it a large community garage sale in the fall—just in time for students to move back into the campus area and need items for their dorm rooms or apartments.
They accept: furniture, dishes, glassware, pots & pans, small household appliances, computers, electronics, bicycles, office & school supplies, nearly-new clothing, books, toiletries, lawn & garden, artwork, vinyl & cds, musical instruments, sporting equipment & other household goods. They DO NOT collect televisions, paint, child/infant car seats, stoves, washers, dryers, non-working electronics & computer parts, sleeper sofas, mattresses, televisions, or large exercise equipment.
Last revised
- February 10, 2021 to add Lion’s Club.
I wanted to let you know about our organization, Three Spinners. We are new, just formed this year. We collect donations of clothing, school supplies, kitchen & dining items, and bed sheets for resettled refugees. You can visit our donation page at https://www.threespinners.org/in-kind-donations/ for more specifics. As there are few refugees in the area, we don’t give them out directly but rather wash and sort them before sending them to refugee-centric free-stores in Chicago and Indianapolis. Thanks for the great resource!
Thanks for letting me know about your organization. I hadn’t heard about it. It sounds like a good donation alternative for C-U area folks.