Cranford N.J. teen, friends soliciting donations for Hurricane Harvey families

Eleventh grader, Joshua Furer and his friends, Ryan Sawyer and Harrison Pollack of Cranford High School, are organizing a clothing fund-raiser drive and “Dimes for Dreams” on September 10, to help the families affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

The devastation at Texas reminded the boys of the damage from Hurricane Sandy in Cranford six years ago, and how family, friends, and strangers came together to help.

“It’s important that we help out others who need it,” said Joshua. “At any point one thing can happen and anybody can be desperate for help.”

Four years ago, Joshua and his friends rallied the Cranford community to donate used clothes and items to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Joshua is the youngest son of book author and Makilala co-host Jen Furer.

On September 10, the high school students hope to collect funds from collecting loose change to donate to American Red Cross and/or purchase gift cards to donate to those who have been personally affected by the hurricane.

The clothing fund-raiser drive is not donating items to the victims. Instead, the donations will be converted to funds to be donated to American Red Cross.

Joshua emailed GreenDrop and inquired about the process of converting the donated items to funds. According to GreenDrop, “All donations collected at GreenDrop are sold by the charities to a network of thrift stores, including 2nd Ave Value Stores and Village Thrift Stores. There, donations are carefully sorted and given a second life with a new owner, or are responsibly recycled. Eighty-five percent of dollars generated from clothing donations goes to the charity you choose to donate to.”

Here’s a list of acceptable items:

Clothing & Shoes
All men’s, women’s, children and infant clothing including outerwear, underwear, shoes and boots, jackets, ties, shirts, dresses, blouses, sweaters, pants, hats, gloves, handbags, purses, raincoats and overcoats, swimsuits, sandals, shorts, sleepwear, jeans, T-shirts and formal wear.

Household Items
Cosmetics and toiletries (unopened), eyeglasses and sunglasses, artificial flowers and trees, umbrellas, yarns and material, knick-knacks, antiques, jewelry, luggage, buttons, musical instruments, towels, area rugs, Christmas and seasonal decorations, novelties, framed pictures and paintings, yard tools, hardware tools, bedding, draperies, blankets, bedspreads, quilts, sheets, pillows and pillow cases.

Kitchenware
Cookware and bakeware, dishes, utensils, flatware, silverware, pots and pans, Tupperware, glasses and cups, serving plates and trays and canning jars.

Games/Toys
Fisher-Price and Little Tikes items, bicycles, tricycles, board and other games, stuffed animals, software for PlayStation, Xbox and Wii.

Small Appliances
Irons and ironing boards, sewing machines, microwaves, lamps, clocks, hair dryers, electric griddles, blenders, coffee makers and toasters.

Electronics
Computer items including towers, printers, hard drives, software and accessories, telephones, smart phones, answering machines, portable copiers, fax machines, calculators, stereos, DVD players, video cameras and equipment and radios.

Sporting Goods
Camping equipment, roller blades, ice skates, golf clubs, baseball, football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, lacrosse equipment and accessories, skiing equipment and boots and fitness items.

Books, CDs & Videos
Hardback, paperback and children’s books, CDs, DVDs, Blue Ray movies, electronics, books and record albums.

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