Where to donate clothing, furniture, food, & cleaning supplies in Kaiserslautern

With so many people constantly moving into and out of the Kaiserslautern area, there's a real need to know where one can donate extra items from around the home. Whether you're Marie Kondo-ing your place or PCSing out, here is a list of where you can donate and what the places will take. Be sure to check opening times and holiday or COVID-related closures ahead of time for the most success in dropping off donations. 

-Updated January 2023 - DRK store in Kaiserslautern has moved to Landstuhl and Schatzkiste isn't open on Saturdays any more. Bummer!

Wertstoffhof Kaiserslautern

Daennerstrasse 17

67657 Kaiserslautern

Website

Pros: open six days a week, to include one evening; this is one of the city's recycling centers and is generally open even when other places have to be closed because of COVID restrictions. You can donate household items and clothing that are still useable; in the middle of the center there are shelves that are labeled with types of items. All items are free to take so you might find something useful for yourself, too. Since this is a recycling center, you can also bring actual items to recycle too. Drive in but make sure to leave room for others to pass you.

Cons: not all items are accepted and there isn't a huge amount of room for many large items. Upholstered furniture shouldn't be brought here.

Fairness-Kaufhaus Kaiserslautern
Beethovenstraße 56
67655 Kaiserslautern

Website  Facebook

Pros: open six days a week, to include evenings and Saturdays; non-profit organization that supports the community; courtyard where donors can drive in to drop off donations; accepts non-expired human and pet food, cleaning supplies, and health/beauty products as part of the Foodsharing project
Cons: Limited space for accepting furniture; paid streetside parking for shopping (though usually it's not too hard to find a spot)
Notes: this is my favorite thrift store in the area. Although it's not the biggest, there's a decent selection of homewares, clothing, and furniture (keep in mind that the furniture sells quickly though; if you see a sign on it that says "verkauft," that means it's sold). Even better yet is that Fairness is a pick-up/drop-off point for Foodsharing KL, which is free for everyone to use. You can bring or take unexpired food (even for pets!), as well as cleaning supplies and health/beauty items. When you're PCSing, don't throw away all those cleaners; bring them to Fairness instead. Currently the Foodsharing drop off area is located by the door to the courtyard. When you walk into the store, walk straight ahead, past the cashier, and there's a cooler. You can put items in the cooler or on top of it.

Schatzkiste
Pariser Strasse 28 67655 Kaiserslautern

Website
 









Pros: open five days a week, to include evenings; non-profit organization that supports the community; good, free parking directly in front for easy drop-off of donations; large store with room for lots of furniture.
Cons: none that I can think of.
Notes: Schatzkiste is a huge warehouse near the mall in downtown Kaiserslautern. There is always something new to see or buy, but keep in mind that the furniture turns over very quickly.











Stadtbildpflege donation bins around Kaiserslautern
Website
Pros: open 24/7; any clean clothing, bedsheets, purses, belts, blankets, and shoes can be dropped off in a plastic bag, even if it has holes or broken parts (it will be recycled into something else); various locations throughout the city and one can normally park directly in front of the bins
Cons: only accepts the items above; sometimes the bins are full

I'm feeling like Napoleon here...

As part of the saga of moving to Germany, movers have been to my new apartment four times now and I will need to have them back a fifth time. This doesn't even include further visits if I buy any furniture that needs to be delivered (which is almost certain; I have no couches!)

I had the movers out to bring: my unaccompanied baggage (basically a small shipment of clothes, my bike, etc.); loaned furniture for the duration of my stay here; short term loaned furniture (which was supposed to come at the same time as the longer-term loaned furniture); and my household goods.

I had the unaccompanied baggage and household goods shipped the second week of December. The UB came here at the end of January before I even had my apartment so I had the moving company store it until the apartment was ready. My household goods were supposed to arrive 15 February so I didn't ask for short-term loaner furniture. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the ship it was on broke down and the delivery was going to be about a month later!

I had been sleeping on a loaned air mattress. While it was very nice, I didn't want to sleep on an air mattress for a month. I called my employer's Transportation Office and then the Furnishings office to beg for a set of loaned furniture until my own stuff came in. Of course I was admonished because I should have asked for the short term loan furniture to be brought the same time the long term loaner furniture was brought. I patiently explained that my own furniture was supposed to come the same day so I hadn't asked for anything to be loaned. I jumped through a few more hoops, like getting a letter from Transportation to say the furniture was delayed and I also had to drive to the base in person to beg for furniture. I will tell you this: working with these departments makes one humble (and often frustrated).

It all worked out, though, and I had a bed to sleep on for a week. Then, just because it's the way things go, I found out that my furniture was here and had it delivered today. I still have the short term loaned furniture, which I now must schedule a time for it to be picked up. I only had it for a week. Had I known it would've been that short of time period, I wouldn't have gotten it. Egads.

And, on to why I'm feeling like Napoleon here, and no, I don't want to conquer anywhere! I've had two different German movers exclaim what a small apartment I have. Really?My apartment is 750 square feet and has two bedrooms (one bedroom is tiny, for sure). I just shrugged my shoulders and told them it's just me so why would I need anything bigger!

The whole thing is funny. People have commented on what a big car I have (it's a sedan, and not a big boat by any means, but not a little roller skate car, either). I think I'm about ready to tell people that because my car is so "big," I thought that I should live in a "small" apartment ;)

Moo thinks the apartment is just right. BTW, what's for dinner?

An evening of freedom, and what do I do? Eat the sweet potatoooo!

My car arrived, as promised, 50 days after it was shipped via boat, and I successfully picked it up, which took 3/4 of the day, including taking the driver's test.

After all of that, I was really exhausted, for some reason. It didn't help that my sleep schedule is off because I was super naughty and took a long nap on Sunday and am still out of sorts. I think I was also really stressed out about passing the driver's test for my military driver's license (which will allow me to drive my car here; the other option was to get a German driver's license and the procedures to get it are very stringent and it's super costly). I passed the test with a 90%; an 85% is required to get the license, so I was fine there. I know that I got the questions wrong on how long one's license will be suspended if one drives drunk. I didn't study that part adequately because I don't plan to drink and drive here; the laws are super stringent and a person could have trouble after drinking just two drinks.

Anyway, I am very happy to have my car. I have been building it up in my head all the awesome things I can do with the car. Do I envision a trip to France? Do I see a trip to Baden Baden to enjoy the spa?

No, my longings are as such: I want to take a trip to Globus, which is just in town (but many bus transfers between the east and west sides of town, with buses that don't run super often, so taking the bus there would take a good portion of the evening). I want to buy black olives and insulated leggings (those two purchases are not related). I look forward to returning some glass bottles to the store to help someone out. I want to stop by one of the bases and register for German classes. I might even go all-out crazy and even take a cake decorating class. Such aspirations, eh?

I thought that I would start on some of those adventures tonight after work, but I was just too tired. Instead, I thought I'd go hog-wild and shop at the Commissary at a very leisurely pace. Since I wouldn't be walking back with my purchases, I could buy something totally extravagant and somewhat heavy (at least for the purposes of walking long distances): a case of Diet A&W root beer (*swoon*). I might even lose my mind and buy some kitty litter, which also is heavy and not fun to cart around. I happily drove up there only to be reminded by closed doors that it's not open today. D'oh.

Still feeling wild and crazy (but also exhausted), I did party hard by driving to check my mail and then stop by the restaurant on base. I was cold and tired and wanted something warm and cooked to eat (vs. either a cold can of lentil soup or hummus on a pita that was waiting for me at the hotel). Sweet potatoes were on the menu, and that sounded so good and somewhat healthy. I then saw that the sweet potatoes were the kind that had marshmallows on top. What?? That seems so unGerman but since this was on base and geared toward Americans, I shouldn't have been so surprised that the chefs tried out an American recipe. I have always been totally grossed out by sweet potatoes that have the unmelted marshmallows on them, but these marshmallows were melted, and didn't look too bad, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was thinking that the melted marshmallows were just a garnish and the whole thing wouldn't be super sweet.

What I actually ordered, it turned out, was more of dessert. I kid you not - I think that there was lots of sugar, brown sugar, butter, and maybe even pineapple juice dumped into it. It was somewhat good - but then it was also cloyingly sweet. I'm not attributing this to the German chefs; I'm quite sure that this is all American. I know that Southerners eat junk like this - but is it this ridiculous? And, how stupid am I? I order a root vegetable covered in melted marshmallows, and I think it's not going to be sickeningly sweet. Smooth move.

Adventure Level Rating: Moderate

When I announced that I was moving to Germany, many folks commented on how adventurous they felt that the feat would be. Sure, there's always adventure in moving somewhere new, even if it's to a new town in one's own country, and a bit more so when moving abroad.

However, I feel as if I need to give this disclaimer on my move to Kaiserslautern area: please know that on the adventure scale, it's totally cheating to be here :) I don't personally have to go through any of the German red tape for residency status since my job is taking care of that; I have great coworkers who are taking me to work and official appointments (and they even made the appointments for me!); I have a database of approved rentals to consult; I can shop at the Commissary and buy American products at American prices (basically) if I want; and I have spoken very little German since I've gotten here (but will continue to work on that one). 

Heck, looking at the broader picture, I can say that I'm even spoiled because it is a very Western culture here with very few major culture shocks. Some people might say, hey, having to be a good citizen and sorting my trash correctly IS a culture shock, but be realistic. Things are not hugely different here; we share the same alphabet (basically) and some of the same cultural norms. It's not as if I moved to an Asian country, for example, where there would be a different alphabet and I'd be the tallest person for miles (unless there were other foreigners around).

Having said that, though, I do have to make clear that I hope to experience the adventures that DO await here and enjoy (and yes, I will admit, be occasionally frustrated by) the differences here.

Moving to Germany: Moo the Cat Comes with Me, Part 2

Moo: I'm going where?!

After I researched airline requirements, I needed to find out what importation requirements there would be from Germany, the US (especially the Department of Agriculture), and the military to bring my cat  with me to Germany. I emailed back and forth with the state veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture and she was very helpful with explaining the requirements; she even sent me a checklist of things to do.

Keep in mind that these requirements are for a pet/companion animal; there would be totally different requirements for a breeding animal or one for sale, I am sure.

Here is what I found:


1. To move to Germany, the cat must have been microchipped with a microchip that meets certain ISO standards (International Organization for Standardization). This microchip can be read by the German microchip readers and are 15 digits long. If your pet doesn't have a microchip that is ISO compliant, but has a different chip, you could, in theory, buy your own scanner and bring it with you so the pet's microchip can be read. However, the microchip scanners can cost quite a bit (sometimes around $100) so it would make more sense to get the pet remicrochipped with a $35-ish ISO compliant chip.

2. The cat must have a rabies shot that is more than 21 days old but less than a year old. Be sure that your cat is microchipped BEFORE you get the rabies shot! The vet must register the rabies shot to the microchip to prove that the correct animal has been vaccinated. If you do it in the wrong order, you will have to get the animal revaccinated. I also found on some documentation that the vet's signature on the rabies certificate must be in blue ink. Even if you think that doesn't apply to you, it might be good to request blue ink just in case you need it for some reason. I believe the blue ink requirement is because it would be more difficult to forge/photocopy something recorded in blue ink. I had some snafus with this step; originally, I had Moo vaccinated at a mobile vet clinic at a pet supply store to save money on a office call. The vet gave me a carbon copy of the papers so the ink appeared black. I had a dickens of a time trying to get ahold of the vet for a certificate signed in blue because she was only a contractor. I was worried about receiving it in time so I ended up taking Moo to another vet and getting his shot redone. What a pain!

3. Within 10 days of the flight, the animal must have health papers (for my move to Germany, I am using the form called the "Veterinary Certificate to European Union") signed by a USDA approved vet who certifies that the cat is healthy and fit to fly. You would get this done at your regular vet if he's approved by the USDA. Your vet may have the papers but you can also look for them for the Dept. of Ag. Since I'm paranoid about having the most current edition, I will print them out and bring them myself since my rural vet  doesn't get too many of these cases.

4. After the pet has been checked and has had the Vet certificate filled out with a vet who is USDA-approved, a vet at the USDA must examine the certificate and complete the APHIS 7001 form, International Health Certificate. The certificate will cost $38 from the USDA. The papers can be mailed to the office or you can take them in person. Since I have such a limited time frame, I plan to drive to the USDA offices right after my regular vet does the health certificate and get the papers signed then. I was worried about the papers getting lost in the mail or not being in time for the flight, which is right after holiday closures. Plus, to pay for overnighting the paperwork by mail both ways would cost more than just making the hour drive to the USDA office.

Bring the copy of your cat's rabies and microchip certificates, as well as the veterinary certificate.

Be sure to check with the USDA about their office hours as well as when they're available to do the international health certificate. My state's office only has certain hours that they do this and I made an appointment. The vet even told me that Mr. Moo is welcome to come with me inside; she has been so nice and helpful :) I'm totally feeling like a crazy cat lady at this point, for sure, because I'm happy that Moo gets accompany me for errands and of course, for the move.

Moving to Germany: Moo the Cat Comes with Me, Part 1

Moving to Germany: what to do with Moo?

When I first found out that I was going to move Germany, I realized that I had a huge dilemma: what would I do with my cat, Moo, who has been my companion for the last nine years and is considered part of the family and well known for his Moo antics? At first, I thought that I might need to leave him behind. I was really worried that he would be incredibly stressed from moving. He's a rather mellow cat, so I think that I would the one doing the stressing, but still, it was a definite concern.

There seemed to be many hurdles to overcome with bringing him; my main concern was finding an apartment that would allow him and a secondary concern was how on earth I would get him to Deutschland. After all, it's difficult enough to find an apartment in the States that allows pets; I couldn't imagine trying to find a place in a foreign country. I inquired with my friend/current landlady and initially she was willing to keep him, as she does love the critter very much. It was a difficult decision, but I felt like it would've been better for Moo not to have all the stress of moving, and let's be honest: I was originally relieved to have the stress lifted of trying to find a place and to transport him.

It would've been hard to leave behind my companion & yoga partner!

However, some things changed for my friend, and she was not able to take him after all. I felt a moment of panic, but I was also relieved. I would have missed Moo so much; he's been a sweet and cuddly companion for nine years. Plus, in the last six months we had to put down our family dog of 12 years as well as my horse I had owned for 10 years. It would've been really difficult to lose one more family member/animal in the same year (though it wouldn't have been as bad as him passing away, of course).

Jumping into problem solving mode, I started searching online to see how difficult it would be to find an apartment that would allow a cat.I was relieved to find that in Germany, it's a bit easier to find a place. There might be a pet deposit or the rent might be a bit higher, but it appears that there are more places that will allow a pet. I have heard that Germans are very fond of their pets, so maybe this is why. (An aside: people can often bring their well-behaved, leashed dogs into many restaurants, so that really takes enthusiasm for pets to a new level! I have never personally seen a dog in a restaurant in Germany, but I have seen one in a restaurant in Paris so the French must also be quite fond of their pets too.)

He even helps sort paperwork! He's a very helpful kitty.

After finding that it shouldn't be impossible to rent an apartment that allows a cat, I started researching what a person needs to do to when she wants to include her cat in her PCS, or, Permanent Change of Station (moving), as they say with my employer. Below I will list some of the steps that I have taken; they are up to date as of December 2012, but if you are planning to move your pet, be sure to also do your own research because things change and your situation may vary.

I will start with the steps that I took with arranging to bring my cat with me on the flight; I'll write about other aspects in subsequent blog posts because this will be loooooong!

1. Decide how your cat will be making his way to the new country. Basically, there are three main ways of doing this: bringing the cat as your carry-on baggage on your flight, having him ride in the cargo area of the plane during your flight, or having him shipped separately. The first two options aren't cheap, but the last option is probably the most expensive way of going; I believe that I read that one company charged $600! I chose the first option; the flight I am taking doesn't even allow animals in the cargo area because it's not climate controlled. I have heard some horror stories of animals dying in the cargo area because they weren't suited for the climate in it, but I haven't heard of this from anyone that had experienced this directly.

2. Be sure to book your cat's plane travel right away! Do it right when you book your flight, or immediately after. If you book online, depending on the airline, you might need to call the airline to amend your reservation to include your cat. Airlines limit how many pets are allowed in the cabin, for example, and these spots fill up quickly. I booked my flight ticket through my employer's travel agency right around Thanksgiving, and then it dawned on me that I needed to book travel for Moo, too. I thought that I had enough time because it was more than seven weeks before the flight, but I called Delta anyway. I was glad that I did! The flight only allowed four pets in the cabin for the flight, and Moo took the last spot. I would have been out of luck had I not reserved that space because the particular plane for that flight did not allow animals to fly in the cargo area.

3. Start preparing yourself for sticker shock for how much everything will cost to get your beloved furball overseas. Moo, as "carry-on luggage" (which I'm sure he isn't looking forward to!), is a crisp $200 fee for the international flight (which I booked on the phone but will pay for in person when I check in for the flight). That's grating on my nerves a bit because I'm going to have to stick him (inside his carrier) under the seat in front of me and consequently I won't have any legroom. Even worse, of course, is that he's going to be rather squished! It's crazy to have to pay $200 for this "privilege," but it is just something I'll have to accept (and by extension, he will, too -- poor Moo!).

4. Make sure that your pet, his carrier, and his accessories will meet all of the requirements for the flight, as well as those of the destination country. For example, some airlines have blackout dates when animals can't travel in the cargo area because of extreme temperatures. Some smooshed-face breeds have restrictions because of concerns of them being able to breathe. Particular breeds may be banned in your destination. Learn about this ahead of time to avoid major problems and heartbreak. There are many rules related to the carrier/cage, feeding the pet, tranquilizing him, etc. Check with your airline as well as with the Department of Agriculture. There are so many things to check; this is just a start! For example, certain types of pet crates are forbidden in the cargo area or you may have to replace the flimsy hardware on them with more substantial metal parts. Most airlines require that the animal be able to stand up and turn around freely without his head touching the top in the crate if he is being flown in the cargo area. For animals going as carry-on baggage, it's okay for their heads to touch the top of the carrier, but they still must be able to turn around in the carrier. The carrier must meet carry-on size requirements. Don't just go by the tag that says "airline approved." Actually check with your particular airline because their requirements vary.


5. Find out what you must do with the cat at the airport and on the flight. The first part of this would be to find out about TSA screening requirements, and definitely check their website for the latest information. At the time of my search, I learned that I must remove Moo from the carrier and walk through security with him. If I don't do that, I would have to take him in his carrier to a separate screening area to be checked. I'm not sure what that would entail so I'm going to put myself in peril of being scratched by a panicked cat and walk through security with him in arms. Being a smarty pants, I noted that it's unfortunate that I can't wear my coat and oven mitts to avoid being scratched, but that would probably be viewed as a security risk itself so I'll avoid doing that. The animal must be leashed during this process, which brings up another problem: metal on the animal's collar might set off the alarm. Thankfully, there is a way around this -- I bought a metal free harness and leash from a pet supply store that specializes in pet airline supplies (which I'll review in another post).

Once you get into the airport itself, it should be easier sailing. Just don't remove your animal from the carrier if you can avoid it. You won't be allowed to remove him during the flight, either, so avoid envisioning Fluffy chillin' on your lap as you wait for beverage service.