Organizing a Toy or Clothing Drive This Fall?

With fall now here, people are beginning to think about the holidays and the colder weather that will soon arrive. People will also begin to think about what they will buy for holiday gifts this year, and whether or not they need to purchase a new winter coat. Many will also think about those who can’t afford to purchase toys or pick out a new coat for the colder months of the year. Many churches and nonprofits organize toy and clothing drives during this time of year, and if you’re involved in one of these endeavors, then EZ Storage® in Philadelphia is here to help. With one of our self-storage units, you can keep those donations safe and sound until it’s time to distribute them.

An Overabundance of Donations

If you’re in charge of your local clothing or toy drive, then you’re likely hoping for a plethora of donations. At first, there may only be a few items that are brought in, but the volume continues to pick up as the season goes on. Donating may not be on many people’s minds in October, but once November rolls around, they begin to get into the giving spirit.

Your hope is to have an overabundance of donations so that you can brighten someone’s holiday season with a brand new toy or a new coat that will keep them warm. The only drawback to lots of donations is that you may not have enough storage space for everything. Your church basement may be an option, but with all of the activities that happen at church during the fall and winter, there may not be a good spot for several boxes of clothes and toys.

At EZ Storage®, we can help you pick out an ideal storage space that will protect your donations until it’s time to take them to local shelters, foster homes, or wherever they’re intended to go. One of the best things about our storage facilities is that every unit is available on a month-to-month basis, so if you only need a space for two months, then that’s all you have to pay for!

Granting Access to Multiple People

When the toy or clothing drive is over, you likely need several volunteers to handle delivery and distribution. If everything is stored at your home or office, then you or someone else will likely have to be there when volunteers come to pick everything up. Each volunteer may only be taking one or two boxes, and this can create a logistical nightmare for whoever’s in charge. Renting a storage unit means that you can grant access to multiple people, and our staff members and resident managers will help you figure out how best to do this. It’s important that everything remain secure while it’s stored, but with the right approach, every volunteer or group of volunteers will be able to get into the unit, retrieve the boxes they need, and be on their way.

Organizing Your Donations

Since the focus of your toy or clothing drive will be to get as many donations as possible, it’s important to be organized. As coats and jackets come in, you can sort them by size and gender, and put each category into its own box. The same approach can be taken with toys – electronic games in one box, board and card games in another. Be sure to label every box clearly, so that you can find it easily inside the storage unit. When putting boxes into the storage unit, keep boxes with similar contents next to or near each other, and make sure not to stack heavy boxes on top of light ones. Also, be sure to leave plenty of room between each row of boxes so that people can easily walk between them to get to the back of the storage unit.

Find Your Storage Space Today

The holidays will be here before you know it, and if you’re kicking off your toy or clothing drive in the next few weeks, then now is the time to find an affordable storage space. You can find a unit and begin bringing boxes as they’re filled, or you can wait and bring a load of boxes all at once! The choice is up to you, but no matter what you choose, you can count on EZ Storage® to provide you with exceptional customer service. We’re proud to provide the greater Philadelphia metro area with self-storage units, and we look forward to helping your nonprofit find the ideal space.

We have metro-area locations, and each one is equipped to help keep your donations protected. The office at each location is open Monday through Saturday, and once you’ve rented a unit, you and your volunteers can access it on any day of the year.

We look forward to helping you this season!