How Your Donations are Used

Skip McCulley, Distribution Center Director

Every day, thanks to our generous supporters, we receive hundreds of donations. They come in directly to our Distribution Center or are dropped off in one of the 40-plus bins we have located throughout the city. We have established a process for handling the donated items, so we can be a good steward of every single donation that comes to us. We examine every item to determine where it can do the most good.

Items are sorted daily into various areas: clothing, linens, appliances, furniture, household goods and more. They then go one of four places:

1. SVdP Ministries:Items are routed to our other ministries, particularly the SVdP Helpline and our Homeless Ministry. Those requests are passed along to the different parishes throughout our Council, and volunteers within the parish make home visits to identify needs. Vouchers are provided that allow our neighbors in need to come to the Distribution Center and pick up things they need with dignity. In the Homeless Ministry, our volunteers distribute toiletries as well as plastic shower curtains to keep our homeless neighbors dry and blankets to keep them warm.
2. Local Community Partners:We stay in close contact with our local neighbors and when we learn of a need, we provide items to these organizations. We’ve donated cleaning supplies to the Catholic Youth Organization, coats and gloves to Sense School, towels and linens to IndyHumane, and coats and shoes to Hope House in Greenfield. Those are just a handful of the partners we strive to serve with your donations.
3. Mission 27 Resale Stores:We sell items in one of our two Mission 27 stores, which are becoming popular in the “thrifting” community. The stores also provide a safe and dignified space for those on a limited budget and looking for necessary items for themselves and their families. Best of all, proceeds from the stores fund our mission.
4. Baling for Resale: Often times, there are clothing items that cannot be used by other ministries or at Mission 27 Resale. But even these items are useful to our ministry. We bale them for resale, so they can be recycled or provided to third world countries. And the proceeds of baling items goes right back into SVdP programs.

At the Distribution Center, we are making changes to our sorting process to be more respectful of both the donated goods and the time donated by our volunteers.  The new process and equipment will be installed in 2022 and will be more effective in supporting our ministries and efficient with the time needed to sort donations. (More on those enhancements next year!)

When you clean out your closets, garages and basements, know that we are appreciative of your gifts, and we make a concerted effort to get them in the place where they will do the most good. When you donate to us, you’re donating far beyond our doors and impacting more lives than you could ever imagine.