Guy, you may want to consider Crossroads Urban Center, whose thrift store is located at 1385 West Indiana Ave.
From their web site: "Crossroads Thrift Store distributes donated clothing and household goods free of charge to low-income and homeless individuals and families though a referral system. Churches and social service agencies throughout the Salt Lake Valley write referrals sending people to the store. Crossroads has always felt that very low cost sales can be as big a help to many, as free distributions, so we have striven to keep prices among the lowest in the valley. In 2004 the Thrift Store gave away nearly nine times the amount that was sold. The Thrift Store is run primarily by volunteers." http://www.crossroads-u-c.org/
Furniture, kitchen items, underwear and bedding are always in short supply, along with warm clothing and socks. It is a volunteer organization supported by many of the local churches, including Zions. I agree with the earlier comments about the LDS church doing a good job, but if you would like to work outside that framework, you can't do better for a local organization, than Crossroads. Jo At 06:43 AM 9/1/2005 -0600, you wrote:
I thought the Church did an OK job as a relief organization myself though I ain't crazy about giving the Church clothing and such as it ends up at the DI for sale. That "parkas sent to Baghdad" comment got me thinking about the 1000 or so Gulf Coast refugees coming to Salt Lake City just in time for winter. Maybe now would be a good time for me to clean out my closets of ghosts and old coats that I no longer wear or need, and donate them to a local organization who will give the coats to people who need them rather than sell it to them. We regularly give blankets and beer cans to the local animal shelter, but who would be a good organization to give the coats and jackets to?