I drove through southern Mississippi a few months after Hurricane Katrina and there were mountains of donated clothes at the road side. I agree, money and gift cards. Or just ask if it is an individual or family.
Where I volunteer in a shelter/food shelf, we sometimes get carefully assembled bags of toiletries, labelled Man or Woman. Sad to say, we disassemble them and pass things out individually. All that work for nothing, because people don't ask what is needed.