January 17, 2023

Donate new or gently-used window and in-room air conditioners and help your neighbors in need this summer.

It may be a pleasant 45 degrees outside right now, but the DMV’s hot and humid summers will be back again in no time. Every year, Community Forklift’s Home Essentials Program (HELP) provides dozens of free air conditioners to neighbors who need one but can’t afford it. Many seniors and people with medical conditions risk serious health problems as the temperatures rise. An air conditioner can make a world of difference for an elderly neighbor, someone suffering from heart or lung problems, or a child with asthma.

“Ms. G said that she is grateful and it’ll be very helpful.”

– National Center for Children and Families caseworker. The G family of four had been without air conditioning in their DC apartment before Community Forklift’s Home Essentials Program provided them with two free A/C units.

We need your help to deliver cool air to your neighbors in need! Here’s how:

  1. DONATE: You can donate unneeded window or in-room air conditioning units under 10 years of age at our reuse warehouse in Hyattsville, MD. We are open Monday through Sunday, 12 to 5 pm.
  2. FUND THE CAUSE: Help us buy new units to donate directly to a Home Essentials client! When donating money through our online contribution form, add a note in the comments section that you’d like your contribution to go to the HELP program.
  3. BUY AND DONATE A NEW A/C UNIT: If you don’t have a used A/C unit to donate, we also accept new ones! Just drop it off at the reuse warehouse any day between 12 and 5 pm and pick up your receipt for your tax-deductible donation.
  4. SPREAD THE WORD: Do you know of someone who might have an air conditioner to donate? Let your family, friends, and neighbors know that we can put it to good use!

Community Forklift is a 501(c)3 non-profit and your donation is tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. Every act of support, whether it’s a material donation, financial gift, or verbal advocacy, will help our neighbors beat the heat this summer. Thank you!

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Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse.  We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.