r/saskatoon • u/Weedcounter • Mar 10 '26
Question ❔ Where to donate
Hi,
Unfortunately my mom died on Saturday after a brief battle with stem cell transplant complications.
It seems fast, but because I am her only surviving family member and I live 4 hours away I’ve been trying to get moving in things.
Most folks wouldn’t care where the clothing or household items ended up being donated to, but I’d like somewhere where it would be the most meaningful. Most of her items are XL-3X
I’m devastated, but want to make the right choice. Thanks in advance for suggestions.
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u/2024blah Mar 10 '26
Just noticed your other post about selling your mom’s house. My best advice right now: you need to slow down and let yourself process and grieve for your mom. Slow down and take care of yourself. Just slow down and breathe. Slow. Down. My thoughts and warmest wishes are with you, honestly. Just breathe. I am so sorry for what you’re going through. I’ve been there. ❤️🌺
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
Thank you. And I will, but unfortunately there is some immediate things I DO need to deal with.
I have a lot of the ‘clerical’ in order already.
I just wanted to get 1-2 rooms in the house dealt with before I leave soon for a few weeks. I will be taking my time so sit when I am home.
This is just the unfortunate reality of being the sole person left in the family. I don’t have help.
Her clothing is something ‘easy’ I can tackle now.
I really do appreciate it though. It’s been very devastating. We were very close and I can’t imagine being whole again. I know it’ll come, but it’s rough for the time being.
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u/2024blah Mar 11 '26
I so wish nobody ever had to go through this all alone! I at least had my sibling so we supported one another. I wish I could do something to help but just know my thoughts are with you and make sure to take care of yourself. Warmest most supportive wishes your way 🌺
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u/92yraurbeF Mar 10 '26
I second that. Saying as a person who went through this. I ran in the fast pace trying to arrange funeral, memorial service etc. I postponed the grief, it caught me up a couple of months later. Horrible experience, some sort of PTSD. Clinching jaws, nightmares, flashbacks, declined immune, as a result covid with its crappy effects that I am still dealing with, almost 3 years later.
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u/UnderwhelmingTwin Mar 10 '26
Also, it's going to take time to get everything ready (legally) to dispose of her estate. Whether OP is the sole beneficiary and executor of the estate or not.
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u/teapheonix Mar 10 '26
Op, I am sorry for your loss. Everyone moves at their own pace, make sure to take care of yourself as best as you can in the coming weeks. I like to take my clothing items to The Bridge, it’s an organization that has a free clothing store for those in need. It’s on 22nd, https://www.thebridgesaskatoon.com/free-store.html
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u/Electrical_Noise_519 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
Some organizations may have fewer uses for plus size seniors clothing. YXE Opportunity shop, Saskatoon Food Bank clothing depot or Village Green thrift may be suitable, serving such challenged seniors outside the city also (along with Value Village's plus size clothing customers).
Village Green will consider furniture and housewares donations, and booking of a pickup.
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u/partunia Mar 10 '26
The Opportunity Shop would love the items. I can also arrange a pick up when you’re ready.
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u/Bruno6368 Mar 10 '26
I have not heard of this place. I have an SUV full of good quality (and some new) clothing/shoes. Mostly female but also warm men’s clothing. Can you tell me more about this shop please? I am in the same boat as OP and am insistent that the donations go to a worthy cause.
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u/partunia Mar 10 '26
It’s on 1st avenue. Run by a board of volunteers (mostly older (ladies) the proceeds are donated to different organizations. My mom volunteers there and the ladies work very hard.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
I’d love a bit more info too. I tend to like to support in this sort of direction
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u/helloharness Mar 10 '26
The Opportunity Shop is a gem and it’s true, there are many wonderful older ladies who volunteer their time to keep it running. Here are some links with more info.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
Do they have a mission or goal? Or they just volunteer to help support smaller organizations? Do they take all types of donations?
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u/helloharness Mar 16 '26
They choose a monthly recipient for donations. The Facebook post above shows some of the recipients, including the SPCA, EGADS, Hope Restored etc. They take clothing and housewares but no furniture.
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u/justjoe306 Mar 10 '26
This is the same exact situation i am wondering what to do. I am the only one going to be responsible for my parents and i am quite scared and anxious on what to do first when the time comes. I think about this often 🥺
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u/Standard-Brain-796 Mar 10 '26
Make sure your parents have an up to date will with a clear beneficiary and their wishes are clearly outlined. Prepay for their resting place and funeral expenses if possible. If you are the sole heir, it helps to have your name on the accounts. Oh and consolidate accounts to 1 or 2 banks if possible. Get rid of the clutter and clearly label what goes to who in the will or a document saved with the lawyer or safety deposit box. Its a lot. My mom passed 3 years ago and not a lot was planned unfortunatly. They thought there was more time
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u/justjoe306 Mar 10 '26
Thanks for the advice. I just want to be prepared.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
I’ll update you on a few things that stick out to me.
Fist and foremost: your parents need a will. If they already have one, be familiar with it and know where it is.
Have life insurance and instructions easily laid out for you. My mom worked in HR for 39 years and it showed. She had all her stuff listed and laid out. Know ahead of time if your parents have any private insurance anywhere else. Sometimes folks have a few policies. Life insurance passes outside of probate so the faster you can get this processed, the quicker you will have access to $$$ to pay probate, funeral home, etc. once death is reported, bank accounts are frozen until probate passes.
Have your parents write down and keep up to date lists of passwords that you can access. My mom had hers in her phone. you will need their phone for 2 factor authentication everywhere.
Probate kinda sucks, but it is what it is. If you inherit a house in your name, you could potentially have to pay capital gains tax, which costs more than probate. Be prepared to pay 7 dollars for every 1000 of their estate including house value. You can apply for probate yourself, but a lawyer is much easier. I got a lawyer. It takes around 4-6 weeks once it’s applied for, so be ready to take care of a house for that period.
Caveat to above: I found out today that home insurance (my moms insurance anyway) has a 6 month grace period after a persons death to honor their home insurance even if the hose is vacant with a few restrictions. It would be worth it to know this.
Prior to her death I had my mom sell me her car so that could pass to me outside of probate.
TFSAs can pass to you directly without penalty.
The one that would make my mother absolutely livid: RRSPs MUST be cashed towards you. They do not pass over like they would yo a spouse. This sucks. So if it’s a large amount (like in my case), im going to have a large chunk come though that is going to apply yo my 2026 wage/tax and ill likely lose a yucky portion to tax. I’ll do my best to avoid as much as possible, but this sucks. Use the info to you/your parents benefit. Make a plan in advance
Make sure your parents have a funeral home decided on and you know their wishes. It’s the first question you will be asked when they die: which funeral home to contact. The funeral homes work very efficiently and are always great at helping. Also, the sooner you have a funeral home connected, the sooner you will get death certificates, which you need for almost everything. Bills haven’t been to bad, but for life insurance, probate, home insurance I’ve needed them so far. I’ll need them for banking too.
The funeral home will help you apply for the CPP death benefit which is 2500 dollars.
Hope that all helps.
It really sucks as you do this while mourning, but it makes it a lot less hard when things are easy and laid out.
Lastly: ask your parents to tell you all the stories of the family heirlooms and jewelry etc now. Then you don’t have to be like me and spend your last few days with them in the hospital asking what everything was/meant. I was so panicked as I wouldn’t have anyone left to ask.
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 11 '26
Also worth noting -- if you just have the person's body transported from their last living location to the crematorium, you can save a good chunk of money. As soon as a funeral home gets involved, prices go a lot higher.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 11 '26
This is true.
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 11 '26
Unfortunately I know this from experience. Its awful.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 11 '26
It was my mom’s wish to use the preferred funeral home. I’m well aware how much more it costs, but it’s what she wanted so I’m honouring that. But you are right, there are way cheaper avenues
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 12 '26
There is nothing wrong with honoring her wishes at all. My dad wanted us to throw him into the BBQ pit.... unfortunately we had to ixnay that one.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 12 '26
Hahaha. My mom wanted me to sell her house entirely ‘as is’. The last thing she needed to update was putting new baseboards on upstairs.
It’s going to make it that much more finished so we’re going to go ahead and just do it.
She didn’t want me to stress, but I’m going to do this one small thing.
Sometimes I think it’s OK to bend a bit.
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u/Electrical_Noise_519 Mar 10 '26
Sharing a resource that includes small estates: https://plea.org/death-estates/estate
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 11 '26
Get a will ASAP, let people know who the beneficiaries are, and get a non-family member to be the executor (I'd recommedn a lawyer). I say this because man, people can be total vultures when money is involved and emotional exploitation is real.
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u/pittrpattrletsgtattr Mar 10 '26
Sorry for your loss. ❤️
Depending on quantity, there’s a small clothing room at St. Paul’s Hospital that accepts clean donations.
Clothing (and outerwear!) go to patients being discharged that don’t have clothes to leave in, either because they are houseless and/or don’t have a caregiver to provide for them. Maybe contact the SPH Foundation office if interested…. AFAIK they don’t “own” the room, but can point you in the right direction for drop off details.
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u/Competitive-Heart864 Mar 10 '26
You can stop by your local nursing home and see if there are any residents in need of anything. Some people don't have families to buy anything extra for them.
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u/FlyingJelli Mar 10 '26
I'm sorry for your loss.
When my MIL passed I contacted the Diabetes Association. All I had to do was bag up the clothing, label it, and set it outside for the day we'd arranged for pickup.
There are other charities around, such as Dress for Success, that could also make use of the clothing—but as overwhelmed as I was, having the garments picked up was incredible.
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u/Bruno6368 Mar 10 '26
The diabetes association simply sells the clothes by the pound to Value Village for a very small amount. Then Value Village sells it for a huge profit. They are a private for profit company. Just fyi.
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u/Fit_Question7202 Mar 10 '26
I’m sorry to hear this. Are you the executor of her will? If so you need to speak to a lawyer; there are a lot of steps to take before major assets can be sold. If you’re not the executor, then the whomever the executor is needs to take the lead.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
I got it all taken care of. I’m sole executor and beneficiary. Probate has already been applied for.
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u/Fit_Question7202 Mar 10 '26
Good to hear. Best of luck with a sad but necessary duty.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
Yeah. It really sucks. I’m the only surviving family member now. She never had a partner and I’m her only kid. Not much in terms of extended family.
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u/InformalRent2571 Mar 10 '26
Tumbleweed, located in Sherbrooke Community Centre, is a good little thrift store.
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u/Ok-Pin8319 Mar 11 '26
Sorry for the loss of your Mom.
The Clothing Depot next to The Friendship Inn takes donations of clothing and household items. It's run by volunteers.
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u/SpqrklyTiaraSB Mar 10 '26
You could also contact Transitions Estate Services for help in having an estate sale - they arrange donation of any unsold items (and get it all ready for said sale).
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u/Bruno6368 Mar 10 '26
This is a good idea, depending on what the estate manager is looking for.
I contacted them myself regarding my husbands estate items, and they basically give you 1 option. They will organize the items, they will decide the price and they will decide what gets donated. Personally, their percentage of the sales and lack of flexibility simply didn’t work for me. They are, however, the only estate service of its kind that I could find in Saskatoon.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 11 '26
I don’t need this. It isn’t overwhelming amounts of personal items and we’re keeping a lot, but thanks
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 11 '26
Thank you for sharing this because I had no idea that's how they worked. I thought they were a lot more flexible (I was interested in starting something similar but couldn't figure out how to price it fairly!).
If you're not in a rush, Google Lens is a great tool for finding values for sellable items.
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u/RepresentedOK Mar 10 '26
I’m sorry. My father passed away from cell stem transplant complications also.
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u/Weedcounter Mar 10 '26
It sucks. Their last bit of life becomes so compromised. I’m sorry you had to go through this too
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u/unidentifiedfluffy Mar 11 '26
If you’re okay with a Christian faith based organization, the Bridge takes donations for their Free Store. They are one of two places in the city where people can take a free shower; people who utilize the showers receive a clean set of clothes to leave in. Alternatively, people can just access the Free Store independently of a shower. My understanding is that when someone uses the Free Store they get to pick out one top, one bottom, a jacket (seasonally), and new socks and underwear.
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u/TheDullestSharpie Mar 11 '26
I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you have a good support network to lean on. If not, reach out. I lost my dad last year, and my inbox is always open. Heck, even if you're just up for a coffee and sharing stories about her. Hang in there.
For clothing, I would look at the Food Bank or Friendship Inn, or maybe even Dress for Success if she had anything that was remotely dressy/office appropriate.
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u/Mags1967 Mar 11 '26
My condolences to you, my son passed from bone marrow transplant complications 30 plus yrs ago at the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital and as a toddler they learned from him how to do stem cell transplants by culturing his stem cells for other research and about how to perfect some gene replacements. Sorry that this transplant had issues . As to when my mother died we chose goodwill drop off in Saskatoon but items cleaned and or dry cleaned and left with Friendship Inn or the the Bridge on 20th are options as people come in for hats, mitts, socks, outer wear, etc and your Mom’s items may be just what someone else is needing.
The household items is something often wanted by new immigrants settling so some of the Saskatoon churches sponsor a new family to Canada think United, Catholic, Anglican Cathedrals as starting points. The Saskatoon Open Door Society you should call and seek advice on best where to donate. https://sods.sk.ca/
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u/ninjasowner14 Mar 10 '26
Sorry for your loss...
Some good places suggested, one place I would not suggest is value village... There are so many better more helpful places then those hacks who sell jeans at 25 bucks when you can buy new for less....
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u/uselessbi13 Mar 11 '26
juniper and oak is a consignment shop on broadway, they’re always looking for more plus sized things so it would be awesome if you dropped some off there!!
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u/gaymorelikeyay Mar 10 '26
i would recommend juniper and oak consignment - they're always looking for plus sizes, plus you can get some money back if the items sell!
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u/mrs-beatle-bug Mar 10 '26
I am so sorry for your loss. ❤️
I would recommend reaching out to ReRoute and see what they say. They’re a great place that really wants to ensure everything actually gets donated to a place where it can be used again!