










Give your pre-loved gear a new lease of life by donating to charities that make a difference. Here’s where to go to make a donation in Singapore!
If you’re taking a page out of Marie Kondo’s book and releasing all the things that no longer bring you joy – clothes that don’t fit, old electronic items, unwanted gifts, faded t-shirts, and the neverending pile of toys – then why not consider finding your pre-loved items a new home instead of flinging it all out in the trash (especially as some of these cant be recycled)? If you’re wondering where to make a donation in Singapore, then begin by deciding which items you’d like to donate before scrolling through our list of awesome businesses, apps and charities in Singapore that accept donations. While our list is by no means exhaustive, it’s certainly a good enough list to get you started. Tip: Before making your donation, check the website of your charity organisation or business of choice to determine what items they’re looking for – this will actually fill a need and avoid wastage.
Jump to:
Food Donation in Singapore
Book Donations in Singapore
Accessories & Clothes Donation in Singapore
Shoe Donations in Singapore
Furniture, Electronics & Toy Donations in Singapore
Other Ways to Make a Donation in Singapore
Read More: NGOs, Welfare Groups & Charities in Singapore to Volunteer At
Where to Donate Food in Singapore
Food Bank Singapore


This food charity in Singapore has many easy ways for you to make food donations. Donate non-perishable food by dropping it off at Food Bank donation boxes around the island – there are more than 80 boxes islandwide in schools, corporate offices, malls and even condominiums. The food donations must be unexpired (minimum of 4 weeks to expiry) and packed in dry packages before being dropped off at the donation boxes. Alternatively, volunteer for door-to-door distribution or make a financial donation (FoodPanda offers this when you order a meal on the app!). Food Bank Singapore will use your financial donations to purchase necessary items from various food suppliers. Want to rally your child’s school community or your neighbourhood to donate too? Food Bank Singapore has a great manual to help you plan a food drive.
Lions Home for the Elders


This non-profit charity organisation runs two well-equipped nursing homes and you can make food donations for its 384 residents. Donations that are typically requested include bread and sponge cakes, fruit juice boxes, sauces and dairy products, dried fruits, fresh veggies and more. Make an appointment at least a week in advance to swing by either of the two nursing homes to drop off your food donations. Lions Home also accepts financial donations, which cover necessities such as medication, a medical companion service, diaper supplies and ambulance transport for hospital visits.
Food from the Heart
This food charity in Singapore began as a resource to collect unsold bread that had reached its commercial time in order to be distributed to the needy. Now, Food from the Heart runs several different food distribution programmes such as the Community Food Pack programme, which distributes fresh fruit, eggs and bread, as well as monthly food packs comprising non-perishable food items. Drop off your food donations on weekdays directly to the Food from the Heart warehouse (look for Kelvin!) or place it in the donation box outside the office after work hours. You can make an online food donation through Fairprice or RedMart too, which will deliver direct to Food from the Heart. The organisation also accepts toy donations in Singapore, although this initiative is currently on hold due to the pandemic.
OLIO App
Co-founded by mama of two Tessa Clarke, OLIO connects neighbours and local businesses so that unwanted food can be donated, rather than wasted. Simply post what you don’t need on the OLIO app and someone will contact you to arrange collection – ideal for condo and HDB living where we’re surrounded by neighbours! It can also be used for non-food household items.
Where to Donate Books in Singapore
Books Beyond Borders


Got a ton of children’s books you’d like to donate? Hit up Books Beyond Borders! They accept second-hand book donations in Singapore for adult fiction and non-fiction books, popular children’s books and teen fiction. The funds used from reselling these books are then used for educational purposes in developing countries such as Nepal. Not sure if the books you want to donate meet the criteria? Check out their Giving Guide for a preview of what’s acceptable. Books can be dropped off at the Books Beyond Borders store, but if you have more than 20 books in excellent condition, Books Beyond Borders can arrange for a pick-up. Books Beyond Borders also accept community donations if you’d rather write them a cheque.
Dignity Mama
If you’ve cleaned out your little one’s bookshelf, then consider donating these pre-loved pages to Dignity Mama. The organisation retails each secondhand book at its pop-up stalls, which are manned by young adults with special needs. This allows them to develop entrepreneurial skills in a supportive environment. The stalls are located in four hospitals across Singapore, and each book is sorted by the Dignity Mama staff before being resold at reasonable prices. You can drop off book donations at the Dignity Mama stalls at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital or National University Hospital.
National Library Board
Got a stack of materials about Singapore’s history, culture and business? You can make a book donation in Singapore to the National Library Board’s collection, which is always on the lookout for print or digital books, manuscripts, photographs, and other related ephemera. You can also make an online donation to the Library Fund, which is used to create accessible public libraries for patrons from all walks of life. The donations are tax-deductible, as the Library Fund is a registered charity in Singapore.
NTUC FairPrice
Got a spare textbook or two lying around? Take it all to the annual FairPrice Share-A-Textbook project. You can donate pre-loved textbooks that are still in good condition at any FairPrice store around the island from now until 7 December 2022! To date, the initiative has already collected 350,000 pre-loved textbooks over the past three weeks and is 30 percent short of its target to collect half a million textbooks. These will benefit about 25,000 underprivileged students this year.
Thryft


Book donations in Singapore are a breeze thanks to this sustainable online bookstore – one of Asia’s largest! All you have to do is pack your books up neatly, find a book drop location, and then fill up this online form (which has the list of requirements your book donations must meet) upon drop-off. Your books are then sorted and put back up for sale (some for as low as $2!), and Thryft gives back a portion of its profits to other social organisations.
Where to Donate Accessories & Clothes in Singapore
Carousell
Carousell is one of the most active preloved marketplaces in the city. Available as an app as well as on your desktop, it is an easy and efficient way to find buyers though there is a fair amount of work in listing your goods, chatting to potential buyers, agreeing to a price and then arranging pick up. However to donate your item completely just price it at $0 if you want to give it away for free!
Clothes swapping stores


If you’re donating clothes in Singapore that are still in good condition, and are planning to refill the empty space left behind in the wardrobe, why not try clothes-swapping through start-ups like The Fashion Pulpit or Swapaholic? To participate, you will need to drop off the clothes/accessories at their centres in advance (typically in the CBD), and pay a small admin fee. Your contribution will be vetted for wear-and-tear, and likewise, you get to choose from good-condition items at the swap event. There are also e-swapping options available!
Read more: Clothes-swapping stores and thrift shops in Singapore
Give and take Singapore (Telegram)
Freecycling means to give away used goods or materials to people who want them, or to obtain such items for free. Give & Take Singapore (via Telegram) was started by Yan, who noticed many useful items being discarded during the height of Covid, when most residents stayed home and took the time to declutter. Trying to find a solution, Yan started the Telegram group and began to give away excess household and electrical items. Members can ask for what they need – we’ve seen laptops, air fryers, vacuum cleaners, hospital beds, etc. being given away for free!
Green Square
This young enterprise is on a mission to improve Singapore’s abysmal 7% textile recycling rate. You can donate clothes by simply dropping it off at various locations islandwide. In addition to clothes donations in Singapore, Green Square also collects home textiles like bed linens and rugs, as well as shoe donations and accessories that are clean and wearable. Green Square’s facility sorts clothes so that the good quality piles are exported for resale, and the rest are recycled into industrial cleaning cloth.
Image Mission
This charity in Singapore runs Dress For Success, a social programme that helps women from low-income and distressed backgrounds secure jobs via coaching for interviews, and providing office-appropriate wardrobes (they are often short on plus-sizes), neutral colour bags or low-heeled office shoes. Image Mission isn’t accepting clothes donations in Singapore at the moment, so call or email to check when this will be open again. However, they are accepting cash donations if you’d still like to lend a helping hand.
Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO)
Donate pre-loved clothes, shoes, bags and accessories that are still in good condition at SCWO’s donation drives – you’ll find deets on SCWO’s social media channels. These items will be sorted and retailed for as low as $1, and the proceeds will go towards Star Shelter and other SCWO Initiatives. Cash donations are tax-deductible, and books and toy donations in Singapore are also welcomed.
Visio Optical
Wondering what to do with your old spectacles now that you have new ones? Make your spectacles donations in Singapore to Visio Optical, which repurposes the frames for the underprivileged in Singapore. Currently, the store accepts old spectacles, reading and distance glasses as well as sunglasses.
Where to Donate Shoes in Singapore
ActiveSG Circle


Launched in July 2021, this permanent shoe donation drive in Singapore turns old rubberised shoes into materials that can be used in jogging tracks, fitness corners and playgrounds. There are multiple collection points in schools, tertiary institutions, parks and more – find a full list here. There’s no limit to the number of shoes you can donate, and you can even get a sustainability e-badge after.
Soles4Souls


Shoe donations in Singapore can be made directly to Soles4Souls can be made by filling up a donor form, attaching it to your donation and using the contact details below to arrange for drop-off at its Sims Drive warehouse; make arrangements a few days in advance! If you’re only able to drop off your items after working hours, fret not, because it’s quite safe to leave your items at the Soles4Souls doorstep – a CCTV camera monitors the entrance.
Ten Feet Tall


Has your child outgrown their black school shoes? Ten Feet Tall accepts shoe donations in Singapore (Bonus: they also sell new shoes!). The donated pairs will be channelled to school-going kids from low-income families in Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali and India. The Ten Feet Tall store at Holland Village typically collects throughout the year, and the team runs collection drives at school events. Now that they have partnered with US not-for-profit Soles4Souls, they can accept ANY shoe in good condition. Update: Ten Feet Tall is currently only running shoe donation drives at schools due to still-recovering shipping resources – you’ll find dates and locations on the website.
Where to Donate Toys, Electronics & Furniture in Singapore
Home Nursing Foundation
Home Nursing Foundation provides all-encompassing care for the elderly within their own homes with services such as nursing, physiotherapy, specialist care and more. The foundation is running its annual Grant a Wish Christmas fundraiser from now until 31 December 2022. Now in its third edition, the fundraiser aims to grant patients’ wishes for necessities such as water heaters, medical supplies and supermarket vouchers. The fundraiser will run on Giving.sg, and you can click here to donate any amount you’d like – a minimum amount of $50 will cover two hours of personal home care sessions. Click here to make a cash donation, or contact the organisation to volunteer to distribute the items.
Pass It On
This platform serves as a connecting point between your donations and charities in Singapore that assist low-income and needy families. Check the wishlist here to find out if anything you wish to pass on has been requested – items can range from mattress donations in Singapore and toddler shoes to refrigerators, baby clothing, old smartphones and more.
The Salvation Army
They accept most used items for donation in Singapore and have drop-off locations and Salvation Army donation booths islandwide here. But be aware they get more than they can use, so a vast number of items are ultimately shipped out of Singapore. Sometimes they aren’t accepting donations, so check first!
ShareLeh
Add continuity to your donations in Singapore when you download the ShareLeh app! The concept is simple: Snap a picture of the items you no longer want, write a short description of it, and share it on the app. Interested parties will connect with you via the app and you can arrange for the item to be mailed to them or for self-pickup. Not only does this minimise waste, but it’s also a great way to ensure your item goes to a household that really needs it.
Metta Welfare Association
You can donate good-condition clothes and accessories and even groceries for low-income families, but you can also drop off used electronic items for recycling, too! Metta works with e-waste recycling firm Tes-Amm to safely dispose of used electronics and IT equipment. Tes-Amm will make a donation in-kind (ie. dried food supplies) of corresponding value to Metta for each item received, so the more you can recycle the better!
Other great ways to donate in Singapore
Donate via Social Media Forums
You can find takers for your pre-loved goodies on active Facebook groups. For baby things, targeted forums such as Preloved Baby Goods and East Coast Preloved Sales work well. Toys, books, breast pumps and all sorts of baby goods change hands fast in these networks. To give away for free, post on Blessing Items for Low Income Families, iamfreecycle and SGFreeCycle, or download the FreeGood app.
Animal shelters

Most animal shelters welcome clean towels as these provide versatile use for their residents – from playthings to cage lining and clean-up. In addition to towels, SPCA accepts newspapers, medication and dog/cat food sometimes even domestic items like washing machines! Keep an eye on SPCA’s collection drives via their Facebook and Instagram pages. SOSD keeps a list of things it needs on its website, ranging from selected dog food to required office supplies. Causes For Animals has various ways for you to make a donation in Singapore – simply scroll through their list to see how you can help. ASD is also always on the lookout for cash donations as well as donations in the form of dog food, flea and tick medication or heartworm medication.
Sponsor a meal, fundraiser or a child’s education
It’s easy enough to make a difference in a child’s life by paying for their education, a day’s meal or by contributing to their ongoing fundraiser via a children’s charity such as Big at Heart.
Donations to KidSTART provide little ones with learning and development packs with books, educational toys and crafting material or healthy packs that have fresh veggies and fruits.
Blessings in a Bag accepts cash donations so they can provide under-resourced students with a curated, alternative learning experience.
Children’s Wishing Well uses your contributions to create enrichment programmes for kids, formal training in the arts, work attachment programmes and even fresh groceries where needed.
Alternatively, browse through Giving.sg to check out various fundraisers for different charities in Singapore you can donate to.
Pick up more life hacks & sustainable living ideas below: