COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS          
Notice-- We are temporarily not accepting donations of clothing due to the overwhelming response from the community.

I want to help.  How can I donate?  Currently we are not accepting donations of clothing as we have been overwhelmed by your generous donations.  Financial donations can be sent to First United Methodist Church, 201 Monroe Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.  BE SURE to make them out to FUMC and put RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK on the memo line.
 
What type of items do you accept?  We accept all stain-free, non-torn, wearable clothing in any and all sizes- infant through extended adult sizes.  We also accept clean shoes with good tread left on them and no holes.  Donations of detergent, stain treaters, color-safe bleach, Clorox, fabric softener, Bounce sheets, trash bags (Force-Flex work best), clean tote bags or duffle bags (for distributing the clothes in), large shopping bags (the tall paper kind with handles) and clothing storage items (i.e. plastic storage totes, clothing racks, etc...) are always welcome.  Again, these items do not have to be new.  All we ask is that the items are clean and usable.  Please be respectful of our mission.

Do I need to package my donations any certain way?  No.  Although bags make it easier for us to transport the items, as opposed to boxes, we will gladly accept the items no matter what they are in.  If you have the time to pair shoes together with a rubber-band it does help, but it is not necessary.  We prefer items not be on hangers as it makes it more difficult to transport the items, however we would never turn away a donation just because of that.

What happens to my donations?  Donations are sorted, laundered and catergorized by size and season.  As soon as possible your donations are returned to community members in need.  These may be people at a homeless shelter, a single mom down on her luck, or even a neighbor who lost everything in a fire.  Those in need are brought to our attention through churches, local agencies and private referrals. There are no "standard guidelines" that we follow as far as distributing the clothes.  If someone is in need we help them- it's that simple.  Any clothing received that is deemed "unwearable" is donated to organizations that can use the material.  We are very much a "green" organization- recycling clothes.

How do I contact RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK?  The founder, Brandi Fitzpatrick, can be reached by email at rightoffyourback@yahoo.com.  This is not her full-time job though, so don't be surprised if it takes a day or two to get a response.  Feel free to call or email us if you need clothing or know someone that does.  We are here to help!

What if I have something to donate but I am not sure if you take it?  Just call or email us and ask!  There are always people looking for something specific.  You might be just the person to help us. 

Can I donate open packages of diapers?  Yes.  If you have any unused diapers leftover we will be more than happy to take those off of your hands.  The same goes for adult diapers and childrens' pull-ups/training pants.     

Can I donate money instead of clothing?  Absolutely!!  Please make your check payable to First United Methodist Church.  Be sure to put RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK on the memo line so your donation gets directed towards us.  You may mail your check to the church at FUMC, 201 Monroe Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.  Just BE SURE to make them out to FUMC and put RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK on the memo line.  You are welcome to drop donations by my house also.

Are there any items that you don't want?  We ask that donated clothing not be over 5 years old.  If you consider it "retro", "vintage" or just plain old "out-dated" then we do not need it.  Clothing must not be stained, torn or covered in pet hair.  No wool items or other items that are dry-clean only.  (Most of our clients can not afford to have the items dry cleaned after they wear them.)  A general rule of thumb is: If you wouldn't wear it or buy it at a rummage sale/consignment store in the condition that it is in, please do not donate it to us.   

Got another question that we didn't answer?  Use the form below to email us and we will gladly try to answer it!

Contact RIGHT OFF YOUR BACK: