Pickup day information
How do I pack my items?
All clothing should be placed in boxes or garbage bags and labeled BBBS. Dishes and any other breakable items should be packed in boxes as if you were moving. Small miscellaneous household items should be packed in a box, sealed, and labeled BBBS. In bad weather, place items in a plastic garbage bag, then tie the bag, label it BBBS, and turn the bag upside-down.
Where do I put my donation?
Your donation should be placed outside in a visible place. Examples include: front porch, front steps, side porch, sidewalk, driveway, by the garage, by the mailbox, in a lobby, or in a vestibule.
Will the driver come inside to pick up my donations?
No, our drivers are not permitted to enter homes. We ask that you have your items bagged or boxed and labeled BBBS. They should then be left outside at 7 am for the driver to pick up.
What time will my items be picked up?
Your donation will be picked up sometime between 7:00 am until dusk. Because our drivers stop at more than 100 houses per day, we cannot tell you the specific time when we will pick up your donation. Please place your donations outside by 7:00 am, as you may be our first stop. Again, please label your bags/boxes with BBBS so our drivers will take the correct bags.
What do I do if my donation was not picked up on the scheduled day?
Email dispatch at dispatch@bbbsfoundation.org, or call (774) 776-7200 (the toll-free number is 800-483-5503) between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Dispatch will identify the problem and reschedule your pick-up as quickly as possible.
Do you pick up in bad weather?
We do pick up in all types of weather, including rain and light snow. If driving conditions are unsafe or if there is a State of Emergency, we will cancel our pick-up routes for that day. If we cancel a route, we will call the people scheduled for pick-up and will reschedule as quickly as possible. We'll post cancellation notices on our homepage.
How soon will I be notified if there is bad weather?
This question is difficult to answer. It depends on how bad the weather is and how quickly our staff can come in to the office to make cancellation calls. We have over 1,500 people to call, and so it does take time to get to everyone. Thank you for your patience. You can always come back to the site to check. We'll post cancellation notices on our homepage.