There's nothing like having a good spring clean. But what do you do with the piles of stuff that you no longer need but may be of use to someone else?
The good news is that you don't have to wait until your next trip into Geelong to donate your unwanted items, as there are many places around Ocean Grove that would love to receive your unwanted clothes, old glasses, glass jars and more!
Here are some of the items that can be donated to organisations and businesses in Ocean Grove:
Foreign CoinsDo you have foreign coins left over from your last overseas trip, sitting in the junk drawer gathering dust? Or you keep receiving random foreign coins in your change at the shop, and don't want to sneakily try and pass them off as Australian currency?
The Commonwealth Bank, located at 76, The Terrace, Ocean Grove will happily accept foreign coins as part of
their joint partnership with UNICEF.
This program helps fund projects to assist children in developing countries around the world, so you can help others while de-cluttering at the same time.
Donate your unwanted foreign coins to UNICEF
The Uniting Church, Ocean Grove are collecting new and used stamps as part of their 'Sammy Stamp' program. Stamps are sorted and sold, and the money raised
goes toward a number of community projects.
When collecting stamps just make sure you leave a border of at least 3mm around the stamp. You can either drop them off when the church is open, or drop them off at the The Dove Op Shop next door (I dropped mine off at the op shop during the week, and they were happy to accept them).
The Uniting Church and the Dove Op Shop are located on the corner of Eggleston Street and The Parade, Ocean Grove.
Donate used stamps to help fund community projects.
Do you have a collection of small, glass jars sitting around, about to be thrown into the recycling bin? Surfside Primary School are collecting small glass jars (eg. jam jars, small sauce bottles) to use as part of their successful kitchen-garden program.
There is a collection box located inside the Ocean Grove Library/City of Geelong Customer Service Centre building, which is on the corner of The Avenue and Presidents Avenue, Ocean Grove. Just give the jars a rinse and put them (and their lids, if possible) into the collection box.
The City of Geelong Customer Service Centre Building in Ocean Grove is a collection point for a number of organisations seeking non-monetary donations.
Old glasses are another item that can be dropped off at the Ocean Grove Library/City of Geelong Customer Service building. There is a box just inside the entrance, under the community trade table where you can donate your old glasses to the
Lions Club's Eyeglass Recycling program. The glasses are then cleaned, sorted, packaged and distributed to people in developing countries.
Donate old glasses to the Lions Club Eyeglass Recycling Program
Food Donations
Geelong Food Relief assist those living in difficult circumstances in the Geelong region by providing free food. They are always looking for donations of non-perishable food items, such as long-life milk, cans of food, packets of sugar and spreads such as vegemite and peanut butter.
Items can be dropped off at Woolworths Ocean Grove - there is a clean wheely bin for food donations just inside the store, around the corner from Baker's Delight.
Donations can also be dropped off at the Ocean Grove Library/City of Geelong Customer Service building (there is a cardboard box marked 'Geelong Food Relief' just to the left as you walk in).
Old Clothing, Furniture and Books
There are a few local options when it comes to donating clothing, books and other household items.
Some of the Op shops in the area include:
-
Gumnut Grove Op Shop (28 Hodgson street, Ocean Grove),
- The Dove Op Shop (Cnr Eggleston street and The Parade, Ocean Grove)
- The Salvos Op Shop (4/6 Marine Parade); and
- Vinnies Ocean Grove (18 Marine Parade).
If you have large items, they can be collected by the
Salvos.
Another way to donate clothing and other household items is to keep an eye out in your letterbox for the coloured, plastic donation bags from various charities, including Diabetes Australia. They appear to be dropped off into letterboxes in the Ocean Grove area every 1-2 months (sometimes more frequently). Just fill up the bag and leave it in front of your letterbox on collection day (you can also leave out additional bags too). Easy!
Keep an eye out for clothing donation collection bags, such as these ones, in your letterbox.
Please share your suggestions below!
