What Can You Donate to the Red Cross?

Thanks to all of you who have donated to the Red Cross to help those affected by disasters. Your generosity is most appreciated!

We've received some questions about whether individuals can donate items like clothing or household items to the Red Cross to go to disaster victims. Unfortunately, we cannot accept small individual donations of items for emergency relief purposes. Small items, such as collections of food, used clothing, and shoes, often must be cleaned, sorted, and repackaged, which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel that are needed for other aspects of our relief operation. The Red Cross, in partnership with other agencies, suggests that the best use for those types of donations is to support other agencies within the community.

While we cannot accept the donation of an individual item, you can support the Red Cross by making a monetary donation or supporting your community by donating these in-kind items to an organization that is equipped to put them to the best possible use. Monetary donations enable the Red Cross to purchase exactly what is needed for a disaster operation. To donate, visit redcross.org/, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.