We appreciate you thinking of Community Resource Center for donations. We accept donations based on need as emergency response to a crisis locally or globally. Before you donate to us, we ask you to consider the reflection of a young intern, Anna Owens from Rye Country Day High School.
In 2019, Anna and Oliver completed their hard work on our mini library so children could enjoy reading in beautiful space after school or while their parents took educational programs and job readiness training.
"This project is definitely helping shape the way that I view the world around me, more specifically helping me redefine exactly what social inequality is. Previously, I understood that life is unfair. People are given chances and opportunities that other people do not receive, whether it be because of luck, where someone is born, race, physical features, or a hundred different things. Often times, society is hard on the people that it deems to not fit in: people of a different country, people who speak a different language, disabled or differently-abled people, etc.
I had always assumed that social inequality is a blindingly obvious thing – if it exists in a certain scenario, I would be able to see it. However, I am learning that this is certainly not the case. As I have been dismantling the library and picking apart the books and furniture, I have seen all of the donations that make up the majority of the library. In the beginning, I was happy that people were donating to the library. It is incredible to see and is the reason the library even exists. Every donation is well-meaning, the books, the table and chair sets, the bookshelves.
One thing people do not understand, however, that no matter how well-meaning your donation is, often times it just makes things more chaotic to the people you are donating something to. One example that struck me this week was the Harry Potter series, a book series I love and have read over and over again. Someone donated this series to the library, except they only donated books 3, 4 and 6. While clearly many kids would love to have the opportunity to read these books and this donation was a great idea, no child is going to start the series on the third book. So, these books have sat on the shelf, taking up space and serving no purpose, because someone didn’t think through what exactly they were doing.
When people donate items, they often think that it doesn’t really matter what is donated or in what condition the donation is in. They believe they are doing the right thing by giving away free things to people who need them more, except a lot of the time the donations aren’t needed. One of the tables in the library is another example. The table is a Thomas the Train table, except there are no trains, and the table takes up so much space that it is hard to reach the books in the shelves closest to the wall. This idea of people throwing whatever junk they want to discard into a donation pile ties into the theme of social inequality because as these people believe that they are making a difference and fighting social inequality, they are only exacerbating the problem. Their ill-suited donations just add further insults, as if the people they are giving them too aren’t worth the time it takes to make sure the first book of the series is there, or that the table fits in the space.
The donation is just something to check off the to-do list, and only serves to imply that whoever is receiving the donation isn’t worth their time or effort. It conveys a feeling of superiority and inferiority, even though the people receiving help, like the kids I have seen in the library, are equally smart and talented and good people. The lack of basic thought wrapped in a good intention forms another layer of social injustice that is often hard to see, but important nonetheless."
-----
We accept:
Medicines (new) and seasonal clothing in good shape (regular sizes), diapers
We do not accept:
Electronics, toys, books or baby items (cribs, stroller)
-----
In 2019, Anna and Oliver completed their hard work on our mini library so children could enjoy reading in beautiful space after school or while their parents took educational programs and job readiness training.
"This project is definitely helping shape the way that I view the world around me, more specifically helping me redefine exactly what social inequality is. Previously, I understood that life is unfair. People are given chances and opportunities that other people do not receive, whether it be because of luck, where someone is born, race, physical features, or a hundred different things. Often times, society is hard on the people that it deems to not fit in: people of a different country, people who speak a different language, disabled or differently-abled people, etc.
I had always assumed that social inequality is a blindingly obvious thing – if it exists in a certain scenario, I would be able to see it. However, I am learning that this is certainly not the case. As I have been dismantling the library and picking apart the books and furniture, I have seen all of the donations that make up the majority of the library. In the beginning, I was happy that people were donating to the library. It is incredible to see and is the reason the library even exists. Every donation is well-meaning, the books, the table and chair sets, the bookshelves.
One thing people do not understand, however, that no matter how well-meaning your donation is, often times it just makes things more chaotic to the people you are donating something to. One example that struck me this week was the Harry Potter series, a book series I love and have read over and over again. Someone donated this series to the library, except they only donated books 3, 4 and 6. While clearly many kids would love to have the opportunity to read these books and this donation was a great idea, no child is going to start the series on the third book. So, these books have sat on the shelf, taking up space and serving no purpose, because someone didn’t think through what exactly they were doing.
When people donate items, they often think that it doesn’t really matter what is donated or in what condition the donation is in. They believe they are doing the right thing by giving away free things to people who need them more, except a lot of the time the donations aren’t needed. One of the tables in the library is another example. The table is a Thomas the Train table, except there are no trains, and the table takes up so much space that it is hard to reach the books in the shelves closest to the wall. This idea of people throwing whatever junk they want to discard into a donation pile ties into the theme of social inequality because as these people believe that they are making a difference and fighting social inequality, they are only exacerbating the problem. Their ill-suited donations just add further insults, as if the people they are giving them too aren’t worth the time it takes to make sure the first book of the series is there, or that the table fits in the space.
The donation is just something to check off the to-do list, and only serves to imply that whoever is receiving the donation isn’t worth their time or effort. It conveys a feeling of superiority and inferiority, even though the people receiving help, like the kids I have seen in the library, are equally smart and talented and good people. The lack of basic thought wrapped in a good intention forms another layer of social injustice that is often hard to see, but important nonetheless."
-----
We accept:
Medicines (new) and seasonal clothing in good shape (regular sizes), diapers
We do not accept:
Electronics, toys, books or baby items (cribs, stroller)
-----
SUPPORT CRC’s LEGAL SERVICES
CRC is building its critical Legal Service Program, but demand for services is still at an all-time high. Volunteer your time to help with:
Court accompaniments with clients
Assist in legal clinics offered on weekends every other month (training available)
Connecting us to attorneys that can offer pro-bono (free) services
Contact Janet Rolon for more information: [email protected]
CRC is building its critical Legal Service Program, but demand for services is still at an all-time high. Volunteer your time to help with:
Court accompaniments with clients
Assist in legal clinics offered on weekends every other month (training available)
Connecting us to attorneys that can offer pro-bono (free) services
Contact Janet Rolon for more information: [email protected]