The other day I organized a cabinet full of almost two years' worth of cast-off/grown-out clothes and shoes from Jeremy and me and the girls and some hand-me-downs that we didn't need. The items had been collecting there for months and months, simply because I did not know where to take them. There is no Goodwill or Deseret Industries here, at least as far as I know. I briefly considered throwing all the stuff in a suitcase and taking it to the US when I go, and dropping it off at Goodwill there. Really! I just didn't know what else to do with it.
Then, vaguely, I remembered that last year during Ramadan, collection booths sprung up around town for donations of clothing, shoes, and toys. That would be just the thing for my cabinet full of hand-me-downs! But Ramadan doesn't start for another 10 days, so I was sure I would miss the chance this year since I leave the country next week.
However, an Emirati friend tipped me off that at any time of year - not just during Ramadan - you can find collection bins for clothes/shoes/toys at most mosques. She told me what they looked like and I decided to keep a clear eye for them as I drove around time. And lucky me, look what I found:
I'm so glad I found a place to donate gently used clothes and shoes in Sharjah. They may not have Goodwill or DI here, but there are donation bins in mosque parking lots and all over the place near Ramadan time - now I know. And knowing is half the battle.