Donating equipment

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Anyone donate equipment they're not using anymore ? I am a compulsive buyer and tryer, and have a ton of stuff I have only used a few times and will never use again.

I tried selling a pair of skates here, and twice my time was completely wasted. One guy had me sending emails for months, going to the post office to have skates weighed, packing them, and then assuring me week after week he still wanted them, only to never hear from him again. Another guy wanted me to take half the agreed-upon amount as a deposit, and let him take the skates and see if he liked them before giving me the other half. When I refused he then complained that I didn't seem to trust him. After those two experiences I question whether it is worth my trouble.

But if I donate them I want them to go to a worthy cause, to go directly to people that will actually use the stuff (as opposed to selling it).

Anyone have any ideas ? I would prefer some sort of cause in the Toronto area as I am uninterested in packing and shipping.

[mack 44]

My brother and I give a lot away to youth programs for needy kids, I'm sure they have something like that in your area.

[hockeymom 2]

Moss Park accepts donations: they have a kid's hockey program and many/most of those kids can't afford equipment, so the league lends them equipment for the season. Not sure if they have a need for larger sizes as I don't know if their program now extends to teens. (As an aside, that has always bothered me - imagine being a hockey mad kid and getting cut off once you hit 13 yrs old).

Leaside Memorial Gardens: I forget the contact name - it is through Leaside Wildcats Girls' Hockey. They do an equipment drive every September. They package the equipment and ship it to a Native community in the far north. It's a troubled community with a high percentage of glue sniffing and such, and the idea is to keep kids and teens occupied and on a healthy path through sport.

I'll see if I can dig up contact names/email addresses and send them to you.

[Sid 3]

toronto hockey reapir has a donation drop off thing. They will refurbish the stuff and send it up to kids in the north who need it.

Thanks Sid.

[TBLfan 25]

I gave my friend a pair of my old gloves because his palm was torn up to the point where the thumb was basically gone. I think you can find people that need the stuff and if you can't you could ask your LHS to give them away to someone in need. Or maybe make a flyer.

[mack 44]

If you're in the States I'd bet that any Boys & Girls club had a program or at least a drop-off.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

All great suggestions, thanks a lot people. I'll check into them. I am not sure if there is a Boys and Girls club in Canada or an equivalent. I have friends who could always trade up in equipment but they all have jobs and can afford their own stuff if they needed it.

Hockeymom - you are right, a lot of those programs cut the kids off at about 13. I skated with one of them at an outdoor rink near Moss Park, he was pretty skilled but became too old for the city programs so he was out in the cold (no pun intended). Seemed pretty sad.