The lowdown on donating during COVID-19

Posted on 20 April, 2020

Our homes are now our office, coffee shop, and gym, and most of us are realising, that the real luxury in our home is space—not our stuff.

But there are still many Australians in need. In fact, COVID-19 has seen people who have never needed help before requesting assistance from local charities.

Thankfully, national online charity GIVIT is working to make sure Canberrans’ can still donate in light of COVID-19.

Maddie Diamond, ACT Young Australian of the Year, plus the Coordinator of SEE-Change and Trash Gather, used GIVIT to donate items that are genuinely needed.

“While I’m always pretty mindful of what I consume, even I have looked around my ‘bedroom/home office’ and realised how much stuff I have,” says Maddie. “I acquired this stuff, so it’s my responsibility to donate it responsibility.”

“Under the COVID-19 circumstances, initially I wasn’t sure if charities were still accepting items, but GIVIT made it clear on their website that yes they need items now more than ever and outlined how they are working to meet the COVID-19 hygiene guidelines.”

Maddie Diamond.

“What I find useful about GIVIT is that it tells you exactly what our community needs. I was able to donate pre-loved jumpers, a phone and a laptop.”

To donate, visit the GIVIT website, either respond to a charities request or post items you’d like to donate.

A local charity will get in touch and arrange a donation exchange. Each charity follows their own internal COVID-19 protocols to make any exchange of an item as safe as possible.

“We need to remember, in times like these not to be a burden on local charities,” explains GIVIT Regional Manager Caroline Odgers. “Many charities are currently overwhelmed by donations, some of which are not required or not able to be repurposed.”

“I encourage donors to match their donation to the season and only donate items you would pass onto a friend. GIVIT makes it easy to donate items to those in genuine need.”

Some of the most sought after donations include quality pre-loved computers, tablets, mobile phones and white goods.

If any of these items are wasting space in your home, match your generosity with genuine need at givit.org.au.