If you want to make a difference in someone else’s life, you can do it by donating any gently used medical equipment to someone else who really needs it. You can either donate to organizations who will redistribute all the equipment they receive to individuals in need, or you can do it person to person, the choice is yours. Either way, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your generosity is helping others.
Where to donate a knee scooter ? A gently used knee scooter can be donated to –
- State Assistive Technology Projects
- state online equipment exchanges
- reuse centers
- community loan closets (state and local) and bikur cholim
- non-profit charities
- thrift stores
- medical equipment refurbishment projects
- faith-based organizations
- local churches
- senior centers
- veterans centers
- private individuals on classified listing websites and social media platforms
Contents Overview & Quicklinks
Donating knee scooters to State Assistive Technology Programs
Donating a knee scooter to refurbishing and reuse Centers
Donating a knee scooter to Centers for Independent Living
Donating a knee scooter to Loan Closets
National and international organizations which accept medical equipment donations
Online listing sites where you can donate a knee scooter near you
Donating a knee scooter in your neighborhood
Organizations near you which may know where to donate a knee scooter
Donating a knee scooter to your State Assistive Technology Program
State Assistive Technology Programs (AT Programs) – your state AT program will gratefully accept donations of all types of durable medical equipment and assistive devices, such as knee scooters.
The purpose of state AT programs is to increase access, for state residents, to assistive technology devices.
Assistive Technology devices include all manner of durable medical equipment.
You state AT Programs will typically have –
- equipment lending libraries
- equipment exchanges
- demonstration centers
- reuse and refurbishing centers
Your knee scooter will be redistributed to those individuals in your state who have to use the AT Program to get access to the equipment they need.
If you wish to donate your knee scooter to your State AT Program, or you just want to know more, click on your state in the list below.
Click on your state to go to your State AT Program website
Donating a knee scooter to Medical Equipment Refurbishment and Reuse Centers
Both types of center are very good places to donate your knee scooter.
Medical equipment refurbishment centers will, as their name suggests, refurbish your knee scooter, sanitize it, and then pass it on to a new owner.
A lot of refurbishment centers are run by nonprofit organizations, and they will try to keep the costs as low as possible, in order that they may either give the item away for free, or sell it at a very low price to an individual in need.
A reuse center is more likely to offer an item “as is” to someone else, either for sale or for free, depending on the center.
Donating a knee scooter to a Center for Independent Living
Your local CIL helps individuals with disabilities to live independently in the community. You would need to ask if a knee scooter would be of use to them, but they do generally have medical equipment loan closets to help support their members.
Centers for Independent Living
“provide independent living services for people with disabilities. CILs are at the core of ACL’s independent living programs, which work to support community living and independence for people with disabilities across the nation based on the belief that all people can live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society. These programs provide tools, resources, and supports for integrating people with disabilities fully into their communities to promote equal opportunities, self-determination, and respect.”
Source : https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/centers-independent-living
To find and contact the nearest center to you, go to this website.
Donating knee scooters to community medical equipment loan closets
If you make a donation to a loan closet, your knee scooter donation will typically pass through many pairs of hands over its lifetime, and will hopefully make a significant difference to those users lives, as this type of loan closet provides durable medical equipment loans to members of the surrounding local community.
Such loan closets play a key role in giving individuals in need access to equipment, in particular seniors and individuals with disabilities, in the form of loans. This is not to say that they only loan to people in need, they generally loan to anyone in their community service area.
How to find a medical equipment loan closet ?
I would do your search for loan closets in a few simple steps. I would first search online for loan closets in your area, and then, if that doesn’t come up with anything, I would contact a few specific organizations –
- I use the following search terms to find loan closets online – “medical equipment loan closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending bank + your location”, or “medical equipment bank + your location”
- if the search hasn’t worked for you, look up and contact your county Area Agency on Aging – the agency in your area has one purpose, which is to assist the over 60s in gaining access to services in the community which are available to them – you will find your county agency here
- you can also check in with your local human resources or seniors department, to see whether they run any medical loan closet for seniors
- search online for medical equipment refurbishing centers which may run loan closets in your area
- Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and American Legion Posts – many of these run community medical equipment loan closets, so I would suggest that you search out a club or two near you
To find Lions Clubs in your area, take a quick look at my guide here – How To Find A Lions Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide
To find Rotary Clubs in your area, take a quick look at my guide here – How To Find A Rotary Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide
Bikur Cholim or Medical Equipment Gemacht – (Jewish medical equipment loan closets)
These are loan closets, which are run specifically for members of the Jewish community, by members of the Jewish community. Like all others, these loan closets will always be grateful for the gift of any medical equipment, such as a knee scooter, or any other DME.
If you wish to donate, I would make inquiries at your local synagogue, Jewish senior centers, or search online at the Chesed Match website.
National and International organizations which accept donations of a knee scooter
Goodwill
To donate your knee scooter, locate a store near you and give them a call – https://www.goodwill.org/locator/
Salvation Army
To donate your knee scooter, click on the following link – https://satruck.org/
EasterSeals
To locate your local affiliate to make your knee scooter donation, use this link – https://www.easterseals.com/connect-locally/
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
Their website page for donating a knee scooter is here – http://www.pqmd.org/pillars/donation-guidelines/
Project Cure
Their website page for donating your knee scooter is here – https://projectcure.org/donate-supplies-equipment
REMEDY – Recovered Medical Equipment for the developing World
To donate your knee scooter to REMEDY, use this web page here – https://www.med-eq.org/Login/form.aspx?type=donate&quick=1
Advocates for World Health
The page for donating your knee scooter is here – https://awhealth.org/donate-medical-equipment/
Esperenca
To donate your knee scooter, go here – https://www.esperanca.org/donate-supplies/
MedShare
Got to the MedShare website to donate your knee scooter here – https://www.medshare.org/
HERO Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization
You can find about donating your knee scooter on their website here – https://www.herofargo.org/wp-content/uploads/IndividualSupplies.pdf
MedWish
The page for donations is here on their website – https://www.medwish.org/give
Global Links
To donate your knee scooter, go to this website page – https://www.globallinks.org/our-work/programs/medical-surplus-recovery-program/individual-and-community-surplus-recovery
Global Mobility USA
You can donate your knee scooter at this web address – http://www.globalmobilityusa.org/equipment-and-in-kind-donations
Medical Bridges
This is the donation page on their website – http://www.medicalbridges.org/donate/medical-supplies-and-equipment
Online listing sites and other social media platforms where you can donate a knee scooter near you
Personally, I feel that using online classified ads or social media marketplaces is the most practical method, as you can advertise just to people in your neighborhood. You can select the areas in which your ad/posting for your knee scooter donation is shown.
There are, though, a few points you want to think about when donating online –
- write in your item description on your advertisement that your knee scooter is being donated “as is”, and that you accept no liability for any issues once you have handed it over – once it is there in writing it avoids any possible confusion later on, and you have the proof that your donation was accepted “as is”
- the safety, privacy and well-being of any elderly person you may be caring for at home needs to be respected, so don’t have strangers coming into the home to collect the knee scooter
- it is probably a good idea to give the knee scooter to its new owner in a public place – a mall, a café, or a car park, and go with a friend if you feel at all vulnerable
- on online classified listings, such as Craigslist, use a throwaway email address for your advertisement, not your personal email
Online platforms where you can donate knee scooters –
- Craigslist.com
- UsedHME.com
- Nextdoor.com
- Facebook.com
- Freecycle.org
- OfferUp.com
If you have not used the sites above to donate an item before, I have short illustrated guides on how to donate new, or used, devices on each one –
Craigslist.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ? An Illustrated Guide”
UsedHME.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On UsedHME ? An illustrated Guide”
Facebook.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? An Illustrated Guide”
Freecycle.org – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me on Freecycle.org ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide”
Nextdoor.com – “How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
OfferUp.com – No need for an article on this, as there is a very good video showing how to use OfferUp, see below.
Donating a knee scooter in your neighborhood
If you prefer to simply check with some different places in your neighborhood who may take your donation, try some of these following places –
- Local Hospitals
- Emergency rooms
- Thrift stores
- Senior Centers or Elderly Day Care Centers
- Veterans Centers
- Local Retirement Homes
- Churches
- Your local council Seniors’ department
Asking organizations near you where to donate a knee scooter
If you still haven’t found a home for your knee scooter, I would ask these organizations for some advice –
Area Agency On Aging
Start with your county Area Agency on Aging. As I mentioned in the section above on medical equipment loan closets, their purpose as an agency is to help the over 60s get access to the services available to them. If they don’t know, they will probably know someone who knows where you can donate your knee scooter.
The Area Agency on Aging locator tool will find your county agency – click here.
Social Services
Programs for individuals in need, the homeless, refugees, low income families and victims of abuse, should all be known to the Social Services department in your area, so they also may be able to point you in the right direction.
Faith-based Charities
The Catholic Charities and Society of St Vincent de Paul
These two charities are present throughout most of the US, offering a range of programs to low income families, the homeless, refugees, and victims of abuse.
Each charity runs local chapters, all of which may have information on any loan closets, organizations or individuals who would greatly appreciate your knee scooter in their area.
The chapters of either charity in your area can be found by searching online- “name of the charity + where you live”.
The Catholic Charities and Society of St Vincent de Paul are by no means the only charities with outreach programs helping those in need, but they are present almost everywhere in the US.
Local Town Hall or Chamber of Commerce
You can also go to your town hall and chamber of commerce to ask to see the records of nonprofit organizations, charities refurbishing and redistributing durable medical equipment in their administrative area, and find out who to speak to at these organizations about your knee scooter.
Why isn’t your knee scooter being accepted ?
It can be very difficult to find someone to accept an equipment donation.
It may be because –
- your knee scooter is too old, or not in good enough condition
- used equipment may need to be sanitized, and you may find people are not equipped to do so
- used knee scooters will no longer carry a valid warranty
- state laws governing the reuse of certain medical equipment
Tax deductions on donations
Keep your receipt for any donations that you make to any charities, if you are hoping to get a tax deduction – the IRS will require the receipt for the item.
I’m Gareth, the author and owner of Looking After Mom and Dad.com
I have been a caregiver for over 10 yrs and share all my tips here.
