On Dec. 19, the Teamsters Local 175 donated $20,000 worth of food, clothing and toys to the Children's Home Society in Charleston.
By Dec. 23, it was gone.
In those four days, 167 people came through the doors of the Davis Center in Charleston and picked up items. One of them was a grandmother of four who was brought to tears, knowing that she could give something to the grandkids she was raising.
"It's those kinds of people where you know you made Christmas and the week after so much better," said Mary White, from the Children's Home Society.
Donations, like the Teamsters' tend to increase during the holidays while people are thinking about giving.
"A lot of people are just very conscious over the holidays," said Erin Turner, who manages both Second Seating and Past & Present for the YWCA Charleston. "I think people dig a little deeper and give a little more."
But one of the biggest donation days of the year comes after Christmas - on Dec. 31.
"It's a last-minute tax-reduction thing," said Kathy McKinley, the director of community relations for Goodwill of the Kanawha Valley.
Dec. 31 marks the last day that people can receive a tax break on their yearly taxes for donating to a charity, so Goodwill leaves its doors open until 9 p.m. to allow people to get their unwanted, but not unloved, items in before the deadline.
The final day of the calendar year caps the biggest month in donations for a lot of charities, according to Turner.
"I think generally our community is very giving," Turner said of the December peak. "But it is a sort of pragmatic altruism" around the holidays.
Often, people are either making space for new clothing and getting rid of items that they don't use and taking advantage of the tax deals all with the intention helping others.
"People want to give this time of year." Turner said. "They want to help."
That means a lot of clothing for Past and Present, as well as toys, dishes and other small items, according to Turner.
As for the bigger furniture items that they get at Second Seating, those come during peak renovation times and spring cleanings.
At Goodwill, McKinley says the policy of what they don't accept is simple. They take pretty much everything except "used mattresses, things that are wet, food, and things that are alive."
Things generally slow down in January, especially the first couple of days, but that gives organizations time to get the large stacks of items sorted before people who are following through with their New Year's resolutions to declutter their lives, start bringing items in.
While donations reach their peak from October to December, Children's Home Society and other nonprofit groups aren't just handing out used items during the holidays, they're doing it all year. When people lose their homes to fires, when some students don't have winter coats that fit, those used donations make a difference in people's lives.
"When you have nothing," White said, "something means a whole lot."
Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @drdesrochers on Twitter.