Information on Donating a Singer Featherweight
 

I'm learning on this board that these old machines and other models are useful in other parts of the world after adapting to hand crank. Also I saw where even our troops are using them to mend their gear/clothes. I've been thinking of donating one of my Singer Featherweights to some charity for good use. I am not really attached to this one as I'm not too handy with repairs. A previous owner has wedged a piece of cardboard in the motor area, I assume to keep something from vibrating. Also the light doesn't work. It does sew fine.

How do you go about finding out about donations and could I expect to get a fair amount for a donation receipt?

Thanks for any advise.

Id love to adopt yours, in return, i will donate two of mine to whatever cause you want.

That's a nice thing to do. Donate locally to a respectable charity and get a receipt for the value, you can use it for a tax deduction. Most charities will fill in what it's 'worth'. You can tell them what the market value is and most charities aren't going to quibble about a tax receipt.

Be careful- the IRS may not agree with the valuation. Has anyone here dealt with this?

Most charities are happy to give receipts but DO NOT write in an amount. They leave it up to the donator. There is a website someplace that lists a "rule of thumb" valuation for tax credit donations. I think the last I checked was about a year ago when I donated stuff to Habitat for Humanity and the driver told me to get the customomary donation amount from their website. Hope this helps.

Yes, I would like to know what the customary valuation would be. This may not be something that will work out.
As I understand it these machines are converted to hand crank for depressed areas where there is no electricity. Is that correct? A featherweight may not be a candidate though.
Thanks everyone for your imput.

My son worked on sewing machines for 14 years. He loves to fix things. If we could fix the motor -- there's a reason why someone wedged a piece of cardboard in the motor area. The light could be fixed. My son is also very supportive of our military personnel. You're in Oklahoma, though, and we're in Florida. Otherwise, we might get together to see if we can fix it before you donate it! I have a cousin who lives in Oklahoma who has a quilt shop!

Distance is a real pain, isn't it?

Jeanette Frantz

Since the FW is not a candidate for handcrank, you might try selling the machine here on QB and donate the proceeds to your charit of choice. All charities can use money.