A Practical Guide for Donating, Rehoming, and Giving Back
After a successful spring-cleaning session, the next question is simple: what should you do with everything you no longer need?
The good news is that in Edina and the surrounding area, there are several trusted, community-focused organizations that make it easy to responsibly pass items along, whether that means helping a neighbor, supporting local programs, or reducing landfill waste.
First - A Quick Sorting Session!
Before donating, separate your items into a few simple categories:
- Gently used and reusable → donate
- High-quality or like-new → prioritize direct-impact organizations
- Unopened food or hygiene items → food shelves
- Worn-out or broken → recycle or dispose
This helps ensure your donations are both useful and accepted.
Now that you know what to donate, where should it go? That depends on the type of items, use the list below to find the best organization for your items.
Household Goods & Furniture:
Bridging (Bloomington)
- Accepts: gently used furniture, kitchenware, linens, home essentials
- Mission: Furnishes homes for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness, which means direct placement of items into homes (not resale) and strong partnerships with local housing and social service providers.
- Best for: furniture, beds, couches, full household setups
Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Minneapolis)
- Accepts: furniture, appliances, tools, building materials
- Proceeds fund affordable housing development. They are known for sustainability and a focus on reuse.
- Best for: home improvement items, fixtures, appliances
Clothing & General Donations:
Arc’s Value Village (Richfield)
- Accepts: clothing, shoes, books, household goods
- Mission: Supports programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They have a transparent nonprofit structure and strong local reputation. They also have inclusive employment practices.
- Best for: clothing and everyday household items
PROP Food Shelf (Eden Prairie)
- Accepts: clothing and small household goods (in addition to food)
- Model: Direct distribution to families rather than resale
- Best for: clothing you want going directly to those in need
Food Donations:
VEAP (Bloomington)
- Accepts: unexpired non-perishable food and hygiene items
- Serves: Edina, Bloomington, Richfield, South Minneapolis
- One of the largest and most established food shelves in Minnesota
- Best for: pantry clean-outs, canned/boxed food, toiletries
Second Harvest Heartland
- Accepts: food and monetary donations
- Distributes food to hundreds of partner agencies across the region
- Best for: large-scale impact and financial contributions
Monetary Donations:
If you wish to supplement your item donations with a monetary donation, here are some local organizations that respond to the most immediate and specific needs:
- Greater Twin Cities United Way
- VEAP
- Second Harvest Heartland
General guidance:
To ensure donations are accepted and useful.
- Condition matters: Only donate clean, gently used items
- Call ahead for large items: Especially furniture
- Check accepted items lists: Requirements vary by organization
- Avoid expired or opened food
Not everything has to be donated, there are other ways to ensure your items are reused.
- Give items directly to friends or neighbors
- Use local “Buy Nothing” or neighborhood groups
- Sell higher-value items if appropriate
A Few Final Tips:
- Only donate what you would give to a friend
- Check each organization’s accepted items list before dropping off
- Keep items clean and organized to make processing easier
- When in doubt, call ahead for large or specialty items
