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Donations pick up as new tax season looms MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Tax incentives rake in end-of-year donations
Date published: 12/31/2005
By NATASHA ALTAMIRANO
Donor fatigue after hurricane relief efforts hasn't struck Fredericksburg-area thrift stores.
Things were slow earlier this month at the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Lafayette Boulevard in Fredericksburg, but donations picked up this week, store manager Gene Philipp said.
"Donations were down during the month, and we kind of attributed that to the overflow of [Hurricane] Katrina stuff," Philipp said. "But this week, things have gone ballistic."
The Salvation Army Thrift Store takes clothes, toys, furniture, appliances and vehicles.
Donations typically pick up the last week of the year because it's the last chance for people to make tax-deductible contributions.
Today is typically the busiest donation day of the year, with cars lining up in the Salvation Army Thrift Store's parking lot, said Capt. Mike Harris, leader of the Fredericksburg Corps.
But Philipp said tax write-offs are only part of the reason.
"People aren't even interested in tax breaks--they're giving from the heart," he said. "The money that this store generates goes right back into the community."
The Salvation Army is a nonprofit, Christian service organization that provides holiday food and gifts, utility assistance, drug-abuse treatment and other programs.
Pure generosity also is a reason people donate to SERVE's thrift store on Chatham Heights Road in Stafford County.
"A lot don't even ask for tax receipts--they just want to help," store manager Lynne Schell said.
SERVE provides families with emergency assistance, including food and money for utility and rent payments, prescriptions and clothes.
The thrift store takes clothes, furniture, household items and "almost anything" else, Schell said.
Gordon and Berhane Colston donated their old car to the Salvation Army Thursday for both the tax break and philanthropic reasons.
Gordon Colston said the tax deduction would be higher than the trade-in value of the 1995 Toyota Tercel.
"And a person can buy it for less--it'll benefit the person who doesn't have a car," Berhane Colston said.
The Colstons won't immediately be eligible for a tax deduction because of a tax-law change that went into effect Jan. 1 this year.
They must wait until the Salvation Army sells the vehicle, and can claim only the value for which it's sold. In previous years, donors could automatically claim the vehicle's fair-market value.
The change has caused a slight decrease this year in vehicle donations to Rappahannock Goodwill Industries, which operates five stores in the Fredericksburg area, said Kerry Ebbert, vice president of retail operations.
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries, a rehabilitation facility that provides employment assistance for the disabled, takes clothes, furniture, small appliances and vehicles.
About 85 cents of every dollar sold goes toward its employment program, Ebbert said.
As is typical every year, it's been a busy week for Goodwill stores, she said.
In addition to tax incentives, donations also pick up this time of year because of the out-with-the old, in-with-the-new spirit after the holidays, the Salvation Army's Philipp said.
"People are cleaning out for Christmas and New Year's," he said.
It's been the opposite for Hospice Support Care's Magnolia Thrift Shop on Lafayette Boulevard in Spotsylvania County.
The store was busy with incoming donations such as toys before Christmas, but has since slowed down," store employee Karen Trent said.
"Most people don't know we're here--they think of the Salvation Army first," Trent said.
The store is busier during the summer and fall after yard and church sales, she added.
All of Magnolia's proceeds go toward the nonmedical hospice, which provides care for the terminally ill and bereaving families, Hospice Support Care Director Judy Murphy said.
"Since we do not charge for our services, [the thrift shop] is actually a valuable source of income," Murphy said.
To reach NATASHA ALTAMIRANO:540/368-5036
Email: naltamirano@freelancestar.com
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Donation guidelines
Give to charities you know and trust.
Wash or dry-clean clothing.
Test electrical equipment and battery-operated items.
Include all parts to children's games and toys.
Check with local agencies to determine standards for donating computers and vehicles.
Do not leave items unattended outside a collection center, donate broken or soiled items or give items that have been recalled, banned, or do not meet current safety standards.
Source: Goodwill Industries International |
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Date published: 12/31/2005
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