giving back

These 8 charities in Austin will pick up your donations from home

Save time and money by scheduling a pickup.

Photo by Hero Images/Getty Images

Whether the kids have flown from the nest, it's time to move, or it's starting to look like an episode of Hoarders, hauling items you don't want or need anymore can be a hassle, especially in the summer heat.

But for numerous charities in the area, it's a great opportunity to give someone a helping hand, and they're not just happy to take items off donors' hands, they'll send a truck to the front door, load up the items, and be on their way. It takes just a few clicks to get an Austin-area service to come knocking and drive off with a load that otherwise (if one's being honest) would stay right where it is.

Here are eight options that will save a lot of time, energy, and, most importantly, money.

Austin Creative Reuse
Austin Creative Reuse, which promotes conservation and the reuse of items, accepts arts and crafts supplies, fabric, vintage paper, small toys, puzzles, wine/champagne corks, and more. The nonprofit also has a list of items it does not accept, including appliances, bedding, potpourri, plush toys, shoe boxes, and Christmas decorations.

Austin Habitat for Humanity
The nonprofit provides a free but limited pickup service for larger donations in the Austin area. Here is an online request form that asks for ZIP code, type of pickup location, and details about the donation.

Casa Marianella
Casa Marianella, which supports displaced immigrants, accepts furniture, mattresses, and bed frames, among other items, that are in good condition. Check ahead to see what the group's needs are and to schedule a pickup by calling 512-385-5571 or emailing donations@casamarianella.org.

Central Texas Food Bank
The Central Texas Food Bank picks up food drive donations that produce at least 1,000 pounds of items, otherwise a trip would be cost prohibitive. Check here for more details. The nonprofit serves Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Coryell, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Gillespie, Hays, Lampasas, Lee, Limestone, Llano, McLennan, Milam, Mills, San Saba, Travis, and Williamson counties.

Goodwill Central Texas
Goodwill Central Texas accepts gently used clothing, household items, and just about anything else. The organization also accepts furniture, except mattresses and box springs. Leave tube TVs behind, too.

Salvation Army
Austin-area residents need only enter their ZIP code here, enter the number and type of items they want to donate, and schedule a pickup. The Salvation Army Family Stores accept clothes, books, household items, chairs, couches, and miscellaneous things.

The Arc of Texas
This organization supports Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and accepts clothes, household items, and vehicles. To schedule a pickup, contact the Austin office at 512-707-0008 or arctxsa@reuseit.org.

The Settlement Home for Children
This nonprofit, which supports people who have experienced severe trauma, operates a clothing store that benefits from community donations. For more information on a free pickup, call the organization's hotline at 512-448-5302.

Vehicle donations
Want to get rid of a car, truck, motorcycle, boat, or RV? Numerous Austin-area nonprofits and services are ready to schedule a pickup, generally regardless of the vehicle's condition. These organizations accept vehicle donations:

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MESSAGE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE

Austin theater auctions off chance to write message on iconic marquee

Paramount Theatre/Instagram

The Paramount Theatre is auctioning off the chance to share a holiday message on its marquee.

Austinites craving the limelight might get the chance to see their name in lights — or at least a personalized holiday message — illuminated on one of Austin’s most historic marquees.

As part of the Austin Theatre Alliance’s final 2020 auction to raise funds for the Paramount and Stateside theaters, the nonprofit is offering up an array of unusual and very “Austintatious” items for bid, including the chance to share a customized holiday message on the iconic Paramount Theatre marquee.

The auction item is one of several dozen currently up for bid through ATA’s online holiday auction, which runs through December 11.

With a starting bid of $1,500, the Paramount marquee message is one of the pricier items in the auction, but it may be well worth the glory, as the winning bidder can treat all of Austin to a two-line, 80-character custom holiday message that will be professionally photographed and live on the marquee for a minimum of four hours. (It should be noted that the chosen message is subject to review. After all, this is a nonprofit theater marquee, not the infamously sassy El Arroyo sign.)

Having to cancel or reschedule hundreds of planned shows because of COVID-19 concerns, the Paramount Theatre has had a particularly rough year but recently reopened at 25 percent capacity for limited engagements, like its Holiday Film Series, which is currently underway. Funds raised from the auction enable the ATA, which manages the Paramount and Stateside, to reach Central Texas students through virtual programs, employ venue staff, and help the historic theaters survive the pandemic.

In addition to the Paramount marquee message item, the auction also includes other perfectly weird items befitting a homegrown Austin event, like Matt Lankes photos of Willie Nelson playing chess and the late, great Billy Joe Shaver looking contemplative while perched on a bridge in Waco; and several autographed guitars, including one commemorative acoustic guitar signed by 10 of Austin’s most notable musicians, Ruthie Foster, Carrie Rodriguez, and Tameca Jones among them.

Of course, there is no lack of booze-forward packages, hotel stays, and artist-signed prints also up for grabs. But true lovers of the Paramount Theatre will find the item with the highest opening bid ($5,000) steals the show: a private catered dinner for four on the Paramount stage.

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