We’ve been donating to Deseret Industries for years, and this is one of the places I actually feel good about loading up the car and making a donation run. The drop-off is pretty straightforward. You pull through, someone comes out to help unload, and you're usually back on your way without much fuss. Every time I pull up with a car full of stuff, there’s that small feeling of finally getting all that clutter out of the house. The store itself is usually clean and easy to wander through, with everything from clothes and books to furniture, household stuff, electronics, and the occasional completely random thing you didn’t know you needed.
The bigger reason I keep coming back, though, is what happens after the donation leaves my hands. DI isn't simply selling used stuff. The sales help fund job training, education, and work experience for people who are working toward better employment, and usable items that don't sell can be recycled or sent on for humanitarian purposes. I like knowing that the old clothes, books, and household things we no longer need can have another use instead of going straight to a landfill. The donation area can get busy at times, and there have been a few visits when I’ve had to wait a little longer than expected. Nothing dramatic. Just normal thrift-store traffic. Still, there's something satisfying about driving away with an empty back seat and knowing the stuff we dropped off might help somebody else in a completely different way.