Where to Donate Clothes in NYC: From Pickup to Mutual Aid

Every year, 200,000 tons of clothing end up in NYC landfills — but yours doesn’t have to. Your unwanted clothes have a real second life waiting. Whether it’s a low-income family needing affordable basics, a woman reentering the workforce looking for interview wear, or an undocumented resident accessing free community support, the donation method you choose matters. Plus, there are plenty of convenient ways to go about it. Local mutual aid groups, free pickup services, mail-in programs, workforce nonprofits, and textile recycling — each one routes your clothes to neighbors and causes that need them most. Here’s where to donate clothes in NYC, according to your plans.

Start with the official citywide resource: DonateNYC

Don’t know where to start? The NYC Department of Sanitation’s donateNYC platform is your master map. Search 1,100+ donation locations across the city by item type, location, and organization. Whether you’re looking for clothing pickups, textile recycling, professional wear programs, or community organizations, donateNYC aggregates them all in one searchable directory.

You can filter by borough and neighborhood to find what’s closest and easiest for your situation. It’s free, comprehensive, and updated regularly — a good first stop if you’re trying to figure out which option fits your needs.

When you want pickup from your apartment

Citywide clothing pickup services make donating easier by collecting bags directly from your building, which helps you declutter without hauling everything on the subway.

St Mary’s Clothing Drive

No interest in hauling bags on the subway? St Mary’s Clothing Drive offers free pickups across all five boroughs, so you can book a time and leave your bags ready to go. They accept new and used clothing — think everyday outfits, kids’ clothes, jackets — and distribute them to local families and neighbors in need. You can schedule online or call their office Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

All Of Us Clothing

All Of Us Clothing runs free donation pickups across Brooklyn, Manhattan (East and West Sides), and Queens on weekly routes. They accept clothing, footwear, coats, and similar soft goods, then resell, donate, or recycle them, so more of what you give is diverted from landfill. There’s no minimum or maximum; you just bag or box items, book a slot, and leave them in the agreed-upon spot for pickup.

If you want to ship a bag instead

Shipping‑based services turn closet clean‑outs into donations by letting you fill a bag or box at home, print a label, and route items into resale, reuse, or textile recycling.

ThredUp Clean Out Kit & Donation

ThredUp is a good fit if your “donation pile” skews more like a closet clean‑out of gently used brands. They send you a Clean Out Kit (a big bag) or let you print a label so you can fill your own box with clothes, shoes, and accessories, then ship it in. They list what meets their resale standards and route the rest into reuse or vetted textile recycling; if you choose the Donation option at checkout, ThredUp donates $5 per bag to a partner charity and unaccepted items are reused or recycled.

Happy Donations

With Happy Donations, you box up the clothes, shoes, and accessories you no longer wear, print a free prepaid UPS shipping label from their site, and hand the box to a driver or drop it at any UPS location. Donations support U.S. veterans’ organizations, and you get a tax‑deduction receipt once your items are processed, which makes this a good option if you’re decluttering at scale but don’t want to coordinate multiple in‑person trips.

Professional clothing: Help someone get interview‑ready

Donating professional outfits to workforce‑focused nonprofits helps women build interview‑ready wardrobes and access job coaching as they enter or re‑enter the workplace.

Bottomless Closet

If you’re editing your work wardrobe, Bottomless Closet is an especially good home for those pieces. This NYC nonprofit outfits women entering or re‑entering the workforce with professional clothing and styling, plus job‑readiness support. They focus on clean, current workwear — suits, blouses, slacks, dresses, blazers — as well as shoes, bags, and jewelry, all used to build interview and first‑week‑on‑the‑job outfits.

Dress for Success

Dress for Success operates globally but has deep roots in New York, and their whole model is built around pairing professional attire with career support for women. Their guidelines are strict for a reason: they ask for nearly‑new, contemporary women’s career clothing only (suits, dresses, blazers, slacks, skirts, cardigans, work shoes, handbags, and new sealed toiletries). They don’t accept menswear, casual wear, children’s items, or opened toiletries, and corporate drives in NYC must use their Suits-to-Go pickup service, while individual donors follow local drop‑off schedules.

Textile recycling and “too worn to donate” items

If items are too worn to donate, NYC’s textile recycling programs keep clothing and linens out of landfill by turning them into rags, insulation, and other useful materials.

Wearable Collections at Greenmarkets

Wearable Collections partners with GrowNYC to operate textile recycling drop-offs at select Greenmarkets across the city. You can bring clean, dry clothing, shoes, paired accessories, hats, handbags, belts, and household linens for weekly collection. Items are sorted into reusable clothing, different textile grades, and synthetics — then resold, donated to nonprofits, or processed into rags, insulation, and fibers for other uses. Donations are tax deductible. Textile drop-offs run year-round at multiple Greenmarket locations; check Wearable Collections’ website at wearablecollections.com or call 646-515-4387 for current locations and hours, as schedules vary by market and season.

Nordstrom NYC Flagship

If you’re already in Midtown, the Nordstrom flagship has BEAUTYCYCLE collection bins throughout NYC, making it easy to drop a bag during a regular errand. Nordstrom has partnered with ThredUp and other resale/donation initiatives, so clothing placed in the box is typically channeled into reuse, resale, or textile recycling instead of landfill. Bring clean, gently‑used pieces you’d be comfortable handing to a friend, and ask staff if you’re curious about the current partner program.

Keep it local: Mutual aid & smaller shelters

Local mutual aid groups and smaller shelters let your clothing go directly to neighbors and community members who need it most, often within your own ZIP code.

Mutual aid groups near you

If you like the idea of your clothes going straight to neighbors, start with mutual aid. These are volunteer‑run, neighborhood networks that redistribute clothing, household items, and sometimes food directly to undocumented, disabled, or low‑income residents. The Mutual Aid NYC directory lets you search groups by area; once you find one, check their site or social channels for what they need right now and how to drop off or arrange a pickup.

Smaller shelters & pantries

New York’s official donateNYC directory is your best starting point if you’d rather plug into an existing shelter or pantry. It lists smaller shelters, community organizations, and nonprofits that accept clothing and other goods, and you can filter by location and item type. Most will take everyday clothing, outerwear, shoes, and sometimes linens, but it’s smart to call ahead — needs and drop‑off hours change with the season.

Campus‑based giving

Campus pantries and student‑run drives redistribute clothing and basics to students and nearby residents facing financial or housing insecurity.

Ford Hall Food Pantry and Clothes Closet (Columbia University)

If you’re uptown or connected to Columbia, Ford Hall’s Food Pantry and Clothes Closet combines clothing, housewares, and food under one roof for local community members. Located between Broadway and Riverside, it offers clothing and household items alongside fresh food and dry goods during open hours — Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11 a.m. through 2 p.m. — and you can call (212) 854‑1492 to check current needs before you donate.

NYU & Lower Manhattan campus drives

Around NYU and other downtown campuses, clothing donations often move through student‑run drives and campus‑affiliated centers rather than permanent closets, but they’re worth watching if you live or work nearby. These drives typically focus on seasonal items — coats, basics for students facing housing or financial insecurity, and sometimes professional wear for internship‑bound undergrads — and are promoted through campus email lists, flyers, and student organizations. If you’re in the area, keeping an eye on university newsletters or student‑affairs pages is an easy way to plug surplus clothing into short, high-impact campaigns that serve students and nearby residents at the same time.

When self storage helps you with timing and space

Now that you know where to donate your clothes in NYC, you may still have one lingering question left: are all those clothes better off in the donation box? If there are certain items you’d like to keep but don’t use enough to justify taking up space, that’s where self storage can make a real difference.

Renting a small storage unit in New York City gives you the flexibility to create a dedicated “donation staging area,” where you can sort items by clothing category (shoes, seasonal clothing, fabric) and store them safely until you find time to decide what should stay and what should go. Opting for climate control is especially useful in NYC, where humidity and temperature swings can damage clothes like sweaters over time, which helps your items stay in good condition for donation.

Cost-wise, where you rent matters: a storage unit in the Bronx will typically have better deals and be far more affordable than one in Manhattan, making it a practical solution for budget-conscious residents who still want convenient access.

Using self storage this way helps keep your apartment clutter-free while giving you the time and flexibility to donate thoughtfully — so more of your clothing gets reused or recycled instead of ending up in the trash.

Bottom line

You can donate in whatever way fits your life — local mutual aid, pickups, shipping, campus drives, or textile recycling — and each route helps NYC cut down on thousands of tons of clothing and accessories sent to landfill every year while getting your pieces into the hands of neighbors who can use them. Plus, you’ll be part of NYC’s tradition of mutual aid going back to the tenement days.

Clothes donations in NYC: FAQ

Where can I donate clothes in NYC for free pickup?
Several services offer free pickup across the five boroughs. St Mary’s Clothing Drive picks up in all five boroughs and takes new and used clothing. All Of Us Clothing runs weekly pickup routes across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, accepting clothing, footwear, and coats with no minimum or maximum.

What’s the best way to donate professional or work clothing?
Bottomless Closet outfits women entering or re-entering the workforce with professional clothing plus styling and job-readiness support. Dress for Success accepts nearly-new women’s career wear only and pairs it with career support. Note that Dress for Success does not accept menswear, casual wear, or children’s items.

Can I donate clothes by mail in NYC?
Yes. ThredUp sends a Clean Out Kit or lets you print a label to ship gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories; choosing the Donation option sends $5 per bag to a partner charity. Happy Donations provides a free prepaid UPS label, supports U.S. veterans’ organizations, and gives you a tax-deduction receipt.

What should I do with clothes that are too worn to donate?
Use textile recycling. Wearable Collections operates drop-offs at select Greenmarkets through its GrowNYC partnership, accepting clean, dry clothing, shoes, accessories, and linens that get sorted into reusable items, textile grades, and synthetics. Nordstrom’s NYC flagship also has collection bins that channel items into reuse, resale, or recycling.

How do I find donation locations near me?
>>Start with donateNYC, the NYC Department of Sanitation’s platform, which lets you search 1,100+ locations by item type, location, and organization. You can filter by borough and neighborhood. For clothing that goes directly to neighbors, the Mutual Aid NYC directory lets you search volunteer-run groups by area.

Are clothing donations tax deductible in NYC?
Some are. Wearable Collections donations are tax deductible, and Happy Donations provides a tax-deduction receipt once items are processed. Policies vary by organization, so confirm with the specific group before donating.

Should I call ahead before donating to a shelter or pantry?
Yes. Smaller shelters and pantries change their needs and drop-off hours with the season, so calling ahead is recommended. Campus programs like Columbia’s Ford Hall Food Pantry and Clothes Closet have specific open hours (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.), so it’s worth confirming current needs first.