Decluttering your house or apartment? Feeling overwhelmed by that daunting next step of removing these unwanted items from your home? Let out a sigh of relief right now, because there’s a free service that can take care of that for you, while also benefiting a great cause.
Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV) offers free at-home donation pick-up services across Greater Vancouver from West Vancouver to Abbotsford for clothes, books and small household items. Instead of going through the process of transporting boxes and bags of donations to a designated collection site, scheduled donation pick-ups provide a more convenient alternative.
And, at the same time, you’ll also be giving back to the non-profit’s programs for children and youth. “Unlike junk removal services, donations to BBGV fund mentorship programs that directly benefit local children and youth,” says Norman Galimski, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s marketing, communications and recruitment officer. “This means your unwanted items can make a significant positive impact, transforming clutter into resources that support young people in the community.”
Household donations made easy
Just like their communal donation bins, which are located across Greater Vancouver, this donation service offers an even more efficient way for you to donate your gently used items and give them a second life through resale. You can visit the BBGV website for the full list of acceptable and non-acceptable items for donation.
The process for scheduling an at-home pick up (within BBGV’s service areas from West Vancouver to Abbotsford) is simple: Head over to the BBGV website to book a free pick-up, enter your postal code, search through the upcoming pick-up schedule for your neighbourhood and select a date that works for you. If there are no upcoming pick-up dates listed in your area, you can fill out their request form and BBGV will contact you to schedule a donation pick-up from your address.
On the day of your scheduled at-home pick-up, you can prepare your items for donation by adding a “BB” label to your sealed bags or boxes with “BB”, which you can then leave outside of your home by 7:30 a.m. that morning for a BBGV driver to pick up between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Supporting community mentorship programs
All donations received by BBGV through this donation collection initiative are re-sold to Value Village in exchange for funds that support the organization’s community mentorship programs, which serves over 900 kids across Greater Vancouver each year.
Led by volunteers, BBGV’s mentorship programs include one-on-one mentoring relationships, in-school mentoring, the Game On! group mentorship, math mentorship, and Roots mentoring with Indigenous community leaders.
With a positive role model in their lives, kids can gain a sense of belonging, confidence and motivation to reach their full potential. Currently, the waitlist for BBGV’s mentorship programs can be up to two years. As the programs continue to grow, it will take time, effort and community support to ensure that every mentee who needs a mentor is matched with one.
“The funds raised from BBGV's donation drives support volunteer recruitment, training and matching mentors with young people, ensuring each child in the program gets the guidance and support they need,” Galimski says. “The financial support from these drives is crucial in maintaining the quality and reach of BBGV's services, allowing us to help more children and continually enhance our programs.”
Donate your pre-loved items and make a difference in the lives of children and youth in your neighbourhood by supporting Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s donation collection initiative. Book a free pick-up or find a donation bin near you today.
