Does the Red Cross accept in-kind donations such as clothes and water?
The Red Cross understands that donors are moved to help disaster victims by the images and stories they see and hear and the best way to do that is through a cash donation. Financial donations help us meet the specific needs of the disaster and those affected. In-kind donations of goods in small quantities must be cleaned, sorted, stored and transported — all this takes time, money and manpower – resources that take away from a relief effort. These items are better suited for chapter specific programs if needed, and only after acceptance by the chapter. Because the American Red Cross wants to treat all people equally, during a disaster we can only accept products donated in quantities large enough to ensure we can distribute similar items to everyone we are assisting. If you would like to make an in-kind donation in this way, the Red Cross may only accept bulk donations of products that are expressly needed on a disaster relief operation, such as bottled water, toiletries and food pro
