Do you have a nebulizer which you are no longer using ? If you do, it can be a wonderful gift for someone else who really needs one. If you haven’t had a lung condition, understanding the impact that the donation of the nebulizer can have on someone else’s life is not easy, but it is huge. It allows a person to deliver their medication in a way which means they can breathe more easily and freely. I am an asthmatic, and I luckily have never had to use a nebulizer on a daily basis, but I have used one on occasion, and when you can hardly breathe a nebulizer makes a big difference.
Where to donate a nebulizer ? A gently used nebulizer 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 nebulizer to State Assistive Technology Programs
Donating a nebulizer to refurbishing and reuse Centers
Donating a nebulizer to Centers for Independent Living
Donating a nebulizer to Loan Closets
National and international organizations which accept medical equipment donations
Online listing sites where you can donate a nebulizer near you
Donating a nebulizer in your neighborhood
Organizations near you which may know where to donate a nebulizer
Donating a nebulizer to State Assistive Technology Programs
State Assistive Technology Programs (AT Programs) – you can donate your nebulizer to your state AT program.
State AT programs increase access, for members of the community within that state, to assistive technology devices.
Assistive Technology devices which enable you to achieve a task which you could not otherwise complete – in the case of a nebulizer, it’s breathing deeply, or at least increasing your breathing capacity.
State AT Programs have –
- equipment lending libraries
- equipment exchanges
- demonstration centers
- reuse and refurbishing centers
Your nebulizer would make a very generous gift to those individuals who have to use the AT Program in your state to get access to the equipment they need.
If you wish to do further research on how to donate your nebulizer to your State AT Program, click on your state in the list below.
Click on your state to go to your State AT Program website
Donating a nebulizer to Medical Equipment Refurbishment and Reuse Centers
Both types of center are very good places to donate your nebulizer.
Refurbishment centers will repair or do any maintenance if required, sanitize the nebulizer, and then find it a new home.
A reuse center is less likely to sanitize an item, and will offer it “as is” to someone else.
Generally, equipment refurbishing and reuse centers will find a new home for your equipment donation, with individuals without insurance, with a low income, or who are disabled.
Donating a nebulizer to a Center for Independent Living
Another very deserving option for your nebulizer donation is a Center for Independent Living (CIL).
Your local center helps those individuals with disabilities to live independently in the community, and is somewhere you know that your nebulizer can have a great impact on any potential new users’ lives.
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
It’s normal for centers to run an equipment loan closet to support their disabled members, and you can offer your donation there.
To find and contact the nearest center to you, go to this website.
Donating a nebulizer to community medical equipment loan closets
A medical equipment loan closet is an organization which provide durable medical equipment to members of the surrounding local community.
Loan closets can play a key role in getting the equipment to individuals in need, in particular seniors and individuals with disabilities, in the form of loans. That is not to say that they only loan to people in need, they often loan to anyone in their community service area.
Your nebulizer, once donated, will then be loaned out to members of the community, and typically at no cost. Your equipment will typically pass through many pairs of hands over its lifetime, and will hopefully make a significant difference to those users lives.
As I write on the topic, I have refined the way I search for loan closets to a few simple steps. I would start searching online for loan closets in your area, and then by contacting the following places –
- I use the following search terms “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 that doesn’t work for you, then contact your county Area Agency on Aging – these agencies have one purpose, which is to assist the over 60s to find and to gain access to services in the community which may be available to them – check for your local county agency here
- check in with your local human resources or seniors department, to see if they manage any medical loan closet for seniors
- do some online searches for medical equipment refurbishing centers, and make inquiries there, as they will have their networks for redistribution which usually means a loan closet
- Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and American Legion Posts – while doing my research I have found many clubs and posts which host and run community medical equipment loan closets, so I would suggest that you make contact with 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, which are run for the Jewish community. These loan closets, like all others, will always be grateful for the gift of a nebulizer or any other DME.
If you wish to donate make, I would make inquiries at your local synagogue, or search online at the Chesed Match website.
National and International organizations which accept donations of a nebulizer
Goodwill
To donate your nebulizer, locate a store near you and give them a call – https://www.goodwill.org/locator/
Salvation Army
To donate your nebulizer, click on the following link – https://satruck.org/
EasterSeals
To locate your local affiliate to make your nebulizer donation, use this link – https://www.easterseals.com/connect-locally/
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
Their website page for donating a nebulizer is here – http://www.pqmd.org/pillars/donation-guidelines/
Project Cure
Their website page for donating your nebulizer is here – https://projectcure.org/donate-supplies-equipment
REMEDY – Recovered Medical Equipment for the developing World
To donate your nebulizer 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 nebulizer is here – https://awhealth.org/donate-medical-equipment/
Esperenca
To donate your nebulizer, go here – https://www.esperanca.org/donate-supplies/
MedShare
Got to the MedShare website to donate your nebulizer here – https://www.medshare.org/
HERO Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization
You can find about donating your nebulizer 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 nebulizer, 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 nebulizer 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 nebulizer near you
For me, the main reason for donating your nebulizer on online, is that it will allow you to donate to people as locally as you wish. You will be able to select the areas in which the advertisement/posting for your nebulizer donation is seen.
Precautions you may want to take when donating online –
- to write in the item description of your advertisement that your nebulizer is being donated “as is”, and that you accept no liability for any accidents or problems once you have handed it over – by writing it in the posting, you avoid any confusion later on, and you have proof that it was accepted “as is”
- you need to prioritize the safety, and to respect the privacy and well-being of any elderly person you may be caring for at home. Having strangers come into your home for the item pick-up may be ill-advised
- it may be a better idea to hand over the nebulizer in a public place, such as 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, don’t use your personal email, use a throwaway email address for your advertisement
Online platforms where you can donate nebulizers –
- Craigslist.com
- UsedHME.com
- Nextdoor.com
- Facebook.com
- Freecycle.org
- OfferUp.com
For those of you who have not used the sites above to donate an item, 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 nebulizer in your neighborhood
Should you prefer not to do everything online, you could try checking with some of these following places in your neighborhood –
- 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 nebulizer
If you have had no luck with finding a home for your nebulizer, here are a few organizations where you may be able to get some advice –
Area Agency On Aging
As I have already said, your Area Agency on Aging is going to be a gold mine of information, and is the first place to check in with, and ask for any advice they can give you.
You can use the Area Agency on Aging locator tool to find your county agency – click here.
Social Services
Social Services departments should have information on all sorts of programs run by charitable organizations in your area, for individuals in need, and may be able to help you make contact.
Faith-based Charities
The Catholic Charities and Society of St Vincent de Paul
Both of these charities operate throughout large parts of the US, and offer multiple services/programs to low income families, the homeless, refugees, and victims of abuse.
Either charity will have local chapters which may have information on any loan closets, organizations or individuals who would greatly appreciate your nebulizer.
To find a chapter of either one of the charities in your area, search “name of the charity + where you live”, on the internet.
These two charities are by no means the only ones, but they are present almost everywhere.
Local Town Hall or Chamber of Commerce
Town Halls and Chambers of Commerce will have the records of nonprofit organizations, charities refurbishing and redistributing durable medical equipment in their administrative area. I would go ask and see which ones you can contact.
Why isn’t your nebulizer being accepted ?
Sometimes it is impossible to find someone to accept an equipment donation, and it may be because –
- it’s too old, or not in good enough condition
- used equipment will often have to be sanitized, especially a nebulizer, and not everyone has the correct equipment to carry this out according to the correct government protocols
- used nebulizers will no longer carry a valid warranty
- state laws governing the reuse of certain medical equipment are very strict – this will vary – and there may also be federal laws regarding the reuse of certain medical equipment as well
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.
