About Us
"The companies that donate rather than destroy their usable items and the volunteers who help the Redistribution Center distribute those items to the needy are truly a blessing. We aren’t just providing help to one particular type of individual or organization. We are a link in a chain of giving and contribution that is much bigger than our one organization—we are helping others help the world"
— Ranya Kelly, Founder and President
The Concept
Contributions We've Made
Awards
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The Redistribution Center Concept
Millions and millions of dollars worth of new, discontinued, overstock, or slightly damaged products are thrown away each year by retailers. Some socially-conscious retailers, such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, Lowe’s Hardware, Entenmann’s Bakery, and Crate & Barrel, however, donate their unsellable items rather than discarding them. The Redistribution Center, a unique Wheatridge, Colorado-based organization, makes it possible for these valuable household goods, food, toys, office supplies, construction supplies, cleaning supplies and other items to find their way from stores to local, regional, national and even international organizations who serve those in need.
The Center was founded in 1991 by Ranya Kelly after she found 500 pairs of discarded, new shoes in a dumpster as she looked for a box in which to mail presents. Once she realized how desperately shoes are needed by the community’s less fortunate, she began a crusade to convince retailers to donate new, but unsellable items rather than destroy or discard them. Since then, the Center has distributed over $21,000,000 worth of goods to a variety of organizations and individuals. The Redistribution Center is able to accept the donations from retailers because of its strict system that ensures that no item is ever resold and every item is donated to someone truly in need. Run entirely by volunteers this non-denominal organization donates everything it receives to a variety of organizations, including the Samaritan House, Go-el, Brandon Center, Organization Blessing, and City Harvest, as well as needy individuals, such as soldiers and their families, to name a few.
With an operating budget from donations of approximately $30,000 per year that covers gas, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and other operating expenses, Ranya Kelly and volunteers makes daily trips to pick up goods from stores, store them in the warehouse until they are needed, then deliver them to where they are needed. The Redistribution Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so any donations to the Center are tax deductible and are not taxed as income for the disadvantaged people who receive the donations.
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