Question: A GreenDrop donation trailer is now in the parking lot by the Hawaii Kai dog park on Keahole Street. It has the American Red Cross emblem on it. What type of organization is GreenDrop, and what do they do with donations received?
Answer: GreenDrop is a for-profit professional fundraiser that collects gently used clothing and small household goods on behalf of nonprofit partners, which in Hawaii include the American Red Cross and the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii — the trailer shows the logo for the partner at that location. GreenDrop pays the nonprofit for the donated items, which are then sold at thrift stores, according to its website, gogreendrop.com.
In Hawaii, GreenDrop is operated by TVI Inc., a company based in Washington state that owns the Savers thrift store chain, as well as other secondhand stores. Savers, which has stores in Hawaii, explains its business model on its website: “We accept your donations (thank you) on behalf of a local nonprofit. We pay our nonprofit partners for your stuff, helping them fund programs in your community. Your one-of-a-kind finds are given a second chance to be loved again by thrifters like you. Together, we champion reuse and keep millions of reusable items out of landfills each year.”
Q: If I were to drop off clothes at one of those green Red Cross trailers, would they go to people who’ve lost everything in fires, floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters? I thought the Red Cross preferred to receive money and not goods in those situations, because used clothes pile up and are not always needed.
A: No. As explained in the previous answer, the green trailers belong to GreenDrop, which pays its charitable partners for items donated there, by weight. The designated charity receives money, not the donated goods.
“Items donated are not distributed to or by the Red Cross, but sold in bulk to raise funds for its charitable purposes,” the GreenDrop website says.
The website lists four GreenDrop trailers on Oahu, three of which benefit the American Red Cross and one of which funds the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii.
As you mentioned, when it comes to help from people, humanitarian and disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross generally prefer financial donations because the money can be used to buy whatever is most needed in the disaster zone. Financial donations do not create costly logistical problems, such as with shipping and storage, as an oversupply of used clothing or other goods would.
Q: I’ve seen that green trailer while passing by on the bus, but I don’t drive anymore. Will they pick up my donations? I have too much to carry on the bus.
A: No, GreenDrop doesn’t have pickup service yet in Hawaii, according to its website. However, one of its local charitable partners, the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii, does pick up donations on Oahu. You can make a pickup appointment directly with UCP at ucpickup.org.
Q: If I drop off stuff at the trailer, is it still tax- deductible?
A: Yes, “to the extent permitted by law,” according to GreenDrop. You can download a tax receipt for your donations at gogreendrop.com/tax. Be sure to choose the receipt for the charity named on the trailer where you dropped off your donated goods.
Q: My passport is valid for three more years, but I’ve moved. Does that matter?
A: “No. You don’t need to update your current passport with your new address,” according to travel.state.gov, the website for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
