Are you one junk pile away from an appearance on Hoarders? Is your apartment so crammed with crap, your cat is sleeping in a filing cabinet? Are you the proud owner of not one, not two, but three dust-covered Wii consoles?
Before your significant other leaves you for cleaner pastures, it may be time to unload some of your unnecessary items. Luckily, there are plenty of charities that would love to have your stuff. One man's trash is another man's treasure, after all, and there's a place for everything -- even your hot pink running shoes circa 2011 that you immediately regretted buying.
See also: Five Miami Non-Profits Who Could Use Your Tax-Deductible Gift
Running Shoes
Nike will actually take your old sneakers and turn 'em into "Nike Grind" -- a material they use to create courts, tracks and other sports surfaces. You can drop your once-beloved gym buddies at pretty much any Nike store. Just do it.
Construction Supplies
Your garage full of crap isn't gonna de-clutter itself, and your wife has been bugging you for years to get the job done. Now's the time. Your well-intentioned Home Depot purchases can be donated to Habitat for Humanity, where they'll be used to build abodes for those in need.
Junky Car
Despite your nostalgic attachment to the '85 Chevy you drove in college, it could be put to better use than sitting up on blocks in your backyard. The Southern Florida Make-A-Wish Foundation will take all vehicles, running or not, and they'll come and get it. What better memorial for your old ride than to make a child's dream come true?
Old Cell Phones
Now that you've traded up to the shiny new Galaxy S4, your Droid Bionic sits abandoned in a drawer. Give it a second chance at good use with Dial-A-Life, a Miami-Dade Country program that provides communication devices to at-risk members of the population who can't otherwise afford them, like victims of domestic violence, the elderly, etc.
Pet Stuff
Ginger, your spoiled rotten rescue pit bull, has more than enough stuff. In fact, your spare room is busting at the seams with her toys, beds, clothes, and treats. Time to unload some of her excess to other dogs in need. Donate any pet supplies, canned food, and other useful goods to the no-kill Humane Society of Greater Miami. The pups and kittehs will be oh-so appreciative.
Miscellaneous Goods
Goodwill and Out of the Closet will both take a whole host of items that might not fit into any definitive category -- a random window trimming, a throwback-but-still-working laptop, a Back to the Future-inspired cookbook ... you name it, there's probably a place for it. Goodwill benefits those with disabilities and special needs and Out of the Closet, HIV and AIDS healthcare. Worthy beneficiaries for your Kewpie doll collection, no doubt.
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