City Cast Philly logo

Help Your Neighbor by Starting Your Own Donation Drive

Posted on November 14, 2022   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Brittany Valentine

Brittany Valentine

Everyone has the potential to do something great for Philly. (Clark Tibbs/Unsplash)

Everyone has the potential to do something great for Philly. (Clark Tibbs/Unsplash)

During the holiday season, food, clothing, and toy drives start popping up everywhere. But did you know that you can actually host a donation drive on your own for your favorite organization? Here are a few tips to get you started.

The event can be as creative as you want. It could be a book swap, a sporting goods swap for youth, a diaper drive for local families, or even animal supplies for a shelter.

First, pick an organization and coordinate with them. Ask what items they need, and then publicize the event with those items in mind. 

Drives and swaps can differ in structure. Drives usually work best when people can drop off items over a period of time. Swaps are typically held on a specific day and time, so plan accordingly.  

Make sure to find a proper location. You don’t want to publicize your home address. Some good options are public buildings, stores, offices, or other easily accessible places. For a swap, you’ll need appropriate space and tables to set up the donated items.  

Have fun! Doing things like this can be time-consuming and maybe a bit stressful, but they are sure to fill your heart with so much warmth. And now that you’ve completed your first, the next one will be a piece of cake. Community is where wellness begins. 💗

Share article

Hey Philly

Stay connected to City Cast Philly and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Help Your Neighbors

See All
Help Your NeighborsAugust 18, 2025

Community Gardens To Volunteer at in Philly

Philly is home to numerous community gardens that rely on volunteers. Here are a few around the city where you can lend a helping hand.

A pair of hands scooping soil in a garden bed with plants growing.
Help Your NeighborsAugust 31, 2023

Supporting Philadelphia’s Local Libraries

Libraries are essential to our communities in many ways. In 2016, researchers found that the Philly’s public libraries support nearly 500...

The front entrance of Parkway Central Library on Vine Street. (Brittany Valentine/City Cast Philly)
Help Your NeighborsJanuary 30, 2023

Help Your Neighbor: Support Local Libraries

In 2016, researchers found that the Philly’s public libraries support nearly 500,000 people every year with programming focused on housin...

The front entrance of Parkway Central Library on Vine Street. (Brittany Valentine/City Cast Philly)
Help Your NeighborsJanuary 9, 2023

Help Your Neighbor by Raising Mental Health Awareness

In the greater Philadelphia area, more than 17% of adults over the age of 18 have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, with the...

Photo of a temporarily-placed goth heart street art piece in Center City by artist Amberella. (Brittany Valentine/City Cast Philly)
Help Your NeighborsDecember 12, 2022

Help Your Neighbor Make Volunteering Easy

Philadelphia is big on volunteer work, and there are so many incredible ways to help your community thrive.

Volunteers painting a mural in Chinatown. (Brittany Valentine/City Cast Philly)
Help Your NeighborsOctober 24, 2022

Aid Survivors of Domestic Violence with These Advocacy Groups

In 2021, 43 people were killed by domestic violence in Philadelphia.

Support survivors through October and every month. (BojanMirkovic/Getty Images)
Help Your NeighborsOctober 17, 2022

How to Help Your Neighbor in Times of Mental Crisis

Helping your neighbor can come in many forms, and sometimes it means stepping in as a bystander during mental health emergencies.

Community is where wellness begins. (Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)
Help Your NeighborsSeptember 7, 2022

Steps you Can Take to Help Improve Child Literacy in Philly

Tree House Books is a Giving Library and Literacy center in North Philly.

The latest in Philly

Sponsored

Moving to Philadelphia? What to Check Before You Pick a Neighborhood, Book a Truck, and Sign a Lease

With this guide, you can move to Philadelphia, move from another place to Philadelphia, or just see if living in Philadelphia fits your d...

Wellknown Moving Company Logo
Philly, ExplainedSeptember 25

Play Our Philly Crossword Puzzle

This mini-crossword is filled with clues on Philly history and headlines.

City Cast Philly Crossword
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Learn to Make Cool Things at NextFab

NextFab is a membership-based makerspace that helps people turn ideas into products. Here are three hobbies you can pick up at NextFab.

A person wearing safety gear and work gloves stands beside a metalworking workstation with a large ventilation hood and welding equipment at NextFab.
Food & DrinkSeptember 24

Your Guide to New Restaurants, Bars & Cafés in Philly

Philly’s culinary scene is constantly growing and changing. Here’s a recap of some of the restaurants, bars, cafés, and other delicious s...

(Courtesy of Michael Persico)
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Become a Person With Hobbies This Fall

Whether you want to make something, move your body, learn a skill, or just get really good at something new, here are a few places around...

 Inside the wood shop at Philadelphia Woodworks, with a woman working at one of the workshop tables in the background. A large table in the foreground is lined with dozens of clamps along its edges; walls are hung with organized rows of tools and clamps; there is a drill press in the corner.
Philly's BestSeptember 21

The Best Oktoberfest Activities in Philly

Sip on beer and see how long you can raise your glass at Philly’s Oktoberfests.

People in traditional German folkwear dance around a pole in front of a crowd.
Philly, ExplainedSeptember 18

Prove Your Weekly Philly Knowledge

How well do you know Philly's latest headlines and historical facts? Try your hand at this quiz to find out!

A golden statue of a woman with wings holding up a globe is in the foreground, with an Emmy Awards sign and foliage in the background.
Keep It LocalSeptember 17

Philly Spirits Worth Trying (and Bringing Home)

Philadelphia has a long tradition of distilling that has evolved from colonial rum and whiskey-making into a new generation of small prod...

Two blue glass bottles of Philadelphia Distilling Co.’s Bluecoat American Dry Gin are displayed on a bar counter inside the distillery alongside a glass of the gin with an orange peel.