Make Sure Clothing Drop Bins in Port are Legitimate Before Donating

The Holiday Season is a time for giving.

But before you give, residents should make sure their donations are going to the right place.

North Hempstead officials are warning residents that some clothing drop bins may not be what you think they are.

You may have noticed these bins throughout Port Washington. The Town estimates more than 100 clothing bins can be found across North Hempstead, and the majority of them are not properly permitted.

Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Town Clerk Wayne Wink and the Town’s Code Enforcement Department are urging residents to make sure these bins are for actual charities before donating clothing.

“Anyone making a donation to one of the bins should first look for some important information to make sure the organization is a not-for-profit and not an unscrupulous money-making enterprise disguised as a charity,” Bosworth said in a press release.

How do you separate the real from the fake? All legitimate bins permitted by the TONH will be properly labeled and licensed by a 501(c) (3) charity.

All clothing bins in the Town must be permitted with the Clerk’s Office, at a cost of $50, and be registered with the state as a charitable, not-for-profit organization.

The Town has issued permits for 18 bins by five charities, Wink said.

All unauthorized bins can be ticketed or removed by the Town’s Code Enforcement Department. If an unauthorized bin is on private property, the Town will issue a Court Appearance Ticket to the owner of the bin and the property owner.

Violators will be fined up to $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for the second and up to $2,000 and possibly jail time for the third offense.

“If anyone wishing to donate clothes is not sure that the clothing charity is legitimate, they can contact the Town’s 311 Call Center or the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau,” DeMartin said. “Anyone making a donation needs to know what signs to look for and what questions to ask in order to assure that your donation is going to a charity.”

Read more about the Town Code for Drop Bins here.

For more information, call the Town’s 311 Call Center.

Image via TONH