Veteran-owned Resupply uses tech to make it easier to donate household goods to charity

Paul Tocci urges folks to think about the goods in basements, attics and storage units that are sitting there, with no plans for future use. It could be in a garage, basement or attic.

“Those goods have value,” Tocci said. “They can be transformed into hot meals on the table. They can be transformed into a roof over somebody’s head that hasn’t had a home in multiple years.”

Tocci is the founder of a service that’s making that transformation happen, by way of logistics technology. Resupply recently expanded to Baltimore.

Resupply aims to simplify the process of donating of used furniture and household items to local charities. Donors can use the company’s web app to schedule a pickup. Within 48 hours, movers arrive to take those items. Resupply works with local, family-owned moving companies, which use a driver app to match donations, do the work of moving items down stairs or taking them apart if necessary.

Teams have cleaned out entire estates, or donors could opt to give a single piece of furniture.

“There is no limit to your giving, and there is no minimum amount,” said Tocci, who is the company’s CEO. “Instead of trying to strap that couch to the roof of your car, let us send a truck to you click a button and in about 60 seconds.”

When the process is complete, donors receive a digital tax credit that provides a record and allows donors to enter values for tax returns, and they can rate the experience.

A former U.S. Army officer with the Corps of Engineers and Army Futures Command, Tocci started the service while stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Military families often move to a new base with little notice. As they left, he saw how household items would get left behind.

“The idea was, how do we redirect these items from the landfill and get them to folks that could make better use of these goods?”

The Boston-based company has since expanded to open up the service to any family, and now has a presence in 32 states and 80 cities nationwide.

The 40-employee team has many veterans within its ranks, from special operations command veterans to a combat medic. The support team is entirely made up of veterans, as well, and Tocci takes pride in the “mission-oriented” group.

“They’re an amazing cultural match for us at Resupply and we think they do a great job with all of our donors and charitable partners,” he said.

With the local launch in Baltimore, it is partnering with Habitat Restore of the Chesapeake and Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake. Resupply can pick up donations as far as DC, and is seeking encourage donors in the suburbs, as well, Tocci said.

The city is a “second home” to Resupply already, Tocci said. It’s the headquarters city of venture capital firm Squadra Ventures, which made an investment for an undisclosed amount in the company in 2019.

“We believe that we can harness our technology to really mobilize all the resources that the Greater Baltimore community has to offer, and bring those resources to those that are in need,” Tocci said.