“We're collecting canned goods and other non-perishable items to donate to a local homeless shelter.”

You're volunteering for a charity organization by standing outside of a supermarket and asking for donations. A customer slows down as she walks by you, so she seems interested. You explain to her:

We're collecting canned goods and other non-perishable items to donate to a local homeless shelter.

Click to read more ...

“All proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen foundation to fund cancer research.”

You're working on a charity event to raise money for cancer research. You'd like to ask some of your coworkers for help with the event, so you write an e-mail about it to a group of people. You explain where the money from the event will go to like this:

All proceeds will go to The Susan G. Komen foundation to fund cancer research.

Click to read more ...

“Don't be wasteful. Let's donate them.”

You and your husband have some old clothes and children's toys that you don't need any more. Your husband suggests throwing them away. You don't like that idea because it's bad for the environment and because you think that someone else might still want them. You say:

Don't be wasteful. Let's donate them.

don't be (adjective)

The expression "Don't be ___" is useful for when you want someone to act differently:

Don't be silly! Don't be so sensitive. Don't be angry at me, please. Don't be selfish.

(someone is) wasteful

You call a person "wasteful" when they throw away things that could be used again, or when they buy things that they don't use. You can also use "wasteful" to describe a person's actions instead of the person themselves:

Using paper plates and plastic cups all the time is so wasteful!

donate (something)

To "donate" something means to give it to a person or group that needs help. People donate things to individuals whose houses have burned down, to churches, to homeless shelters, and to thrift stores like in the example above. Things that people can donate include:

donate money donate blood donate used clothes donate food

“We were able to raise just under fifteen thousand dollars.”

You were in charge of planning an event to raise money for a charity. Now the event is over, and you're talking to a friend about how it went. You're telling him about the amount of money you made:

We were able to raise just under fifteen thousand dollars.

Click to read more ...

“Excuse me, we're taking up donations for the Haiti Relief Fund. Do you have a moment?”

Memorize

You're volunteering for a charity that helps victims of the earthquake in Haiti. You're asking for donations on the sidewalk in a busy part of town. You ask each person who walks by:

Excuse me, we're taking up donations for the Haiti Relief Fund. Do you have a moment?

Click to read more ...