Declutter Your Home, Refresh Your Community: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island Opens New Clothing Donation Drop-Off Center in Bristol!

Starting your spring cleaning? Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island (BBBSRI) has you covered with the opening of their new Donation Drop-Off Center at 705 Metacom Ave. The center accepts donations of clothing, linens, and small housewares. You can conveniently drop donations off Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm, and to accommodate busy schedules, a green Donation Bin will be available 24/7! The grand opening celebration will be held on Saturday, June 3rd from 11am-2pm. Bring a bag of donations and enter a raffle to win a $100 Visa Gift card. Enjoy refreshments, and crafts for kids, and get some BBBSRI swag!

Donating clothing and linens to BBBSRI provides the opportunity to contribute to a sustainable future while supporting impactful initiatives throughout the state. We partner with Savers to ensure donated items are reused or recycled. The funds raised through this partnership directly benefit our mentoring programs, which serve over 200 young people and their family members each year. Donations also divert 3-5 million pounds of textile waste from the Rhode Island landfill annually, helping to preserve the environment. With the influx of for-profit textile companies in the state and the residual impacts of the pandemic, donations have dropped 45%. Without the critical funds generated through cloth donations, BBBSRI could be forced to stop enrolling young people into the program.

BBBSRI actively collaborates with 115 nonprofit organizations, cities, and towns throughout Rhode Island through clothing drives and donation bins. In 2022, BBBSRI donated more than $150,000 to community partners including the YMCA, We Share Hope, and The Women’s Resource Center of Rhode Island, among many others. “We’re very excited to open this drop-off center in Bristol. The residents of Bristol have been very supportive of us in the past. Last year alone, they donated over 27,000 lbs. through our free curbside pickup. We’re hoping to make it even easier for them, as they can drop off their donation Monday – Saturday from 9-5”, states Jack Blatchford, Chief Financial Officer. By supporting BBBSRI, you contribute to a network of organizations that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and foster positive change across the state.

To learn more about our new Donation Drop-Off Center in Bristol and other ways you can donate, visit DonateRI.org. Together, we can create a brighter future for generations to come.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island (BBBSRI) creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The Donation Center Foundation of Rhode Island (DC) is a social enterprise collecting donations of used clothing and household goods for resale as a means of generating funds to support the mentoring program expenses and to provide funding to partner non-profit organizations. To learn more about ways to donate visit DonateRI.org, call (401) 921-2434 #2, or email donations@BigsRI.org. If you’re interested in mentoring a child, or donating to support our program visit BigsRI.org.