Where to make clothing donations in Budapest

A few years ago I had a friend who left a bag of clothes at a local shelter, including a red suit with a large, pickle-shaped stain on the right breast of the jacket. She didn't want to wear the stained suit anymore, and it was understandable. Most of us donate our clothes to clear out piles of undesirable ill-fitting shirts/shorts/jackets with unfortunate snags, stains, or tears, not to help those in need. Though we'll all agree that it's better to donate them than simply toss a bag in the trash - especially in Hungary where the trash is already filled with enough recyclables to make anyone with a consciousness cringe - but sometimes it's hard to do, particularly if you have no idea where to go.

Which begs the question, where's there to donate clothing in Budapest?

A good place to start is the Hungarian Red Cross, which takes donations of all kinds at their centrally located headquarters in District V. They work in conjunction with the Human Rights Student Initiative at the Central European University, which collects clothing on campus in September and in June.

Also, the St. Elisabeth's Charity happily accepts donations of any kind. In addition to their headquarters on Hunyadi tér, they have a number of other churches that accept donations to give to local homeless population.

If you're in Buda, the Hungarian Maltese Charity accepts donations, which can be dropped off in District III, thought it might be worth calling beforehand to make sure someone is there to receive the bag.

And if you have something particularly nice - minus that stain or tear - that just doesn't fit, try selling it to a second-hand shop in Budapest. Most of the stores contacted for this article said they do occasionally purchase clothing, provided it is in good condition, washed and ironed and suitable for the general feel of the store. Garderobe was one store that won't buy as they purchase all second-hand clothing from the UK.

Everyone feels better after purging the closet of the likes of that pickle-stained red suit (and likely the embarrassing memory that came with the stain) but it's worth stating how donating or even selling actually can help someone out.

To wrap up the story, my friend was leaving when another woman walked in. Her head was hung, she was trailed by two noisy kids. As the cashier relayed later, apparently she'd just lost her job, was going through a divorce, and was desperately looking for something to wear to her interview the next day. A poster-girl for someone who would really use a little retail therapy.

She tried on the suit. It fit like a glove. She was thrilled. And necessity breeds invention: she was quick to disguise the stain with a scarf pinned with her grandmother's brooch. I don't know if she got the job, but she was energized with the chance to try on a new suit.

Which brings us to guessable moral of this story: it's worth driving those old shirts to a charity instead of chucking them in the trash because sometimes even a pickle stain can get someone out of a pickle.

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle