“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.

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“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

“Can I drop these off here?”

You have some bags of used clothes that you want to donate to a thrift store. You want to know where to put the bags. You see an employee at the front of the store and ask:

Can I drop these off here?

Can I (do something)?

There are lots of different ways to ask for permission to do something:

Can I ___? May I ___? Would it be all right if I ___? Would you mind if I ___?

In the situation above, you don't need to be too polite. So "Can I ___?" is a good choice. Use "Can I ___?" when you want to do something that doesn't cause trouble for the other person. It's also good for asking questions of people that you're close to or on a similar social level with.

drop off (something)

To "drop off" something means to leave it in a place. But you only use it for things that you leave on purpose, not by accident. For example:

I need to swing by the office and drop off a few documents. Could you drop this off for me at the post office?

“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?

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