What to Donate – and Please Not Donate – to the Yard Sale and Holiday Fair

BIG Yard Sale - Saturday, October 28, 2023, 9:30am - 1:00pm, First Unitarian Universalist Society, 1326 Washington St., Newton, MA 02465, www.fuusn.org - Toys and games, household linens, art, collectibles, kitchen gadgets, electronics, pet items, tools, office supplies, crafts, luggage, frames, baskets, and more!!! Low prices!We are excited to be holding both the yard sale and the holiday fair again!  We need your donations to make these a success.  However, there are a couple of things we’d like you to keep in mind about donations:
  1. If you have items that are appropriate for the yard sale, please get them to FUUSN before October 27.  Please don’t donate items that should be in a yard sale to the holiday fair.  See below for suggestions about what kinds of items belong in which category.
  2. Please, please, please don’t donate things that are dirty, moldy, incomplete, broken, chipped or unsaleable.  We have to throw them out – and since FUUSN pays for trash removal, these donations actually cost FUUSN money
  3. Books are sold at the holiday fair only. We don’t have room to store them, so please don’t bring them in with yard sale items.
So, what are some examples of items that belong in what category?  The following list should give some guidance (and if you still have questions, feel free to contact me):
  • Yard sale:  everyday kitchen items (working small appliances, measuring cups, pots and pans, odd plates and bowls, coffee mugs with logos on them…), usable linens, tools and hardware, office supplies, basic holiday decorations, clean yard/garden items, and gently-used toys/games, handbags/backpacks, and decorative items. Please, no large sports equipment (skis, bikes, etc.) and no large electronics (tv’s, computer monitors, etc.). Note that many larger items can go to the Swap Section on Rumford Ave.
  • Holiday fair: items that someone could give as a gift.  Sets of pretty mugs, sets of placemats and napkins in like-new condition, unopened cocktail napkins, boxed cards, like-new decorative items, like-new silk scarves, nicer holiday decorations, unopened toys and puzzles, items with some value (artwork, sets of china, silver items…) – and of course, jewelry and books.
  • Inappropriate donations (please don’t make FUUSN pay to dispose of these): anything that is dirty, moldy or stained (including moldy books).  Anything that is chipped or broken, no matter how nice it is otherwise. Anything that is obsolete (cassette tapes, VHS tapes, old computer/phone cables, old travel guidebooks, etc.). Anything that is incomplete (puzzles/board games that are missing pieces, appliances that are missing cords or necessary accessories…).
With your help, we can make this a wonderful yard sale and holiday fair!