Where to donate clothes in Antigua Guatemala: what helps on the hot coast and in the cold highlands

Where can I donate clothes in Antigua Guatemala?

Through Start with a Smile Project, the community initiative that Amalia Jarquín, a Spanish teacher, runs from Antigua Guatemala. There's no public drop-off address: you message us, tell us what you have, and we arrange how to receive it. Then Amalia and volunteers hand it directly to the children and their families.

Your clothes go to two places with opposite climates, and that changes what's worth packing:

• Las Delicias del Jobo, in Taxisco, Santa Rosa, on the south coast, about 90 km (56 miles) from Guatemala City. That's where the 7 schools we support are, with more than 700 children aged 6 to 16.
• The road to Tecpán, in Chimaltenango, near the Iximché ruins, where we hand out Christmas gifts every December 24.

What clothes should I donate for kids on Guatemala's south coast?

It's hot in Las Delicias del Jobo. For May 2024, the climate bulletin for Santa Rosa from Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA) forecast highs above 34 °C (93 °F) in the south of the department, and even in December the expected lows there ranged from 16 to 25 °C (61 to 77 °F), according to the December 2023 to March 2024 bulletin. Kids walk to school on dirt roads, in the sun or the rain, and some cross rivers to get there.

So for the coast, these help most:

• Light clothes: T-shirts, shorts, skirts and dresses in thin fabric.
• Sandals and sturdy shoes.
• Socks.
• Caps and sunscreen.

Heavy coats and winter gear rarely get worn on the coast. Shoes, on the other hand, are needed: they're on the list of what the schools still lack.

What clothes help at Christmas in the Guatemalan highlands?

The December 24 delivery takes place in the highlands of Chimaltenango, and it does get cold there. MAGA's climate bulletin for Chimaltenango forecast that lows could drop to between 2 and 6 °C (about 36 to 43 °F) in parts of Tecpán from December 2025 to March 2026. We leave Antigua at 6 a.m. and arrive after an hour and a half on the road, so the handout starts early in the morning.

For the December 2022 delivery, the project asked for these, as Guatemala.com reported:

• Sweaters for children and adults, sizes S and M.
• Blankets.
• Children's clothes.
• Flat shoes for children and adults, no heels.

For everything else we hand out that day, see where to donate toys in Guatemala at Christmas.

Can I donate used clothes in Guatemala?

Message us before you pack them, and we'll confirm whether we can take them at that moment and who they would fit. If your clothes are in good shape, follow a few simple rules:

• Clean and complete, with no stains or tears.
• Shoes in pairs, with solid soles, tied together.
• Sorted by size, with the size written on the outside of the bag (for example, “girl, 8 years” or “adult M”).
• No high heels, party clothes or anything that's dry-clean only.

Sizes matter: at one Christmas delivery, a woman measured a child's bare foot on a sheet of paper to find the right shoe. A piece of clothing nobody can wear takes up suitcase space and someone's time to sort. Our guide on what not to bring to Guatemala has more examples.

How do I pack clothes to donate in my suitcase?

If you're flying in from the US, Canada or anywhere else, clothes are among the easiest things to bring. That's the idea behind Pack a Smile: use the spare room in your suitcase. A few tips:

• Pack by size in plastic or vacuum bags; they save space and keep out moisture.
• Fill the gaps with small things that go a long way: caps, socks and sunscreen.
• If you're bringing new clothes, keep the customs rule in mind. Guatemala's tax and customs agency, the SAT, lets you bring in goods worth up to US$500 duty-free, as long as you haven't used that exemption in the previous six months and have been out of the country for at least 72 hours.

Prefer to travel light? You can buy clothes here; should you bring donations or buy them in Guatemala? helps you decide. The full list of what helps, from hygiene items to toys, is on How to help.

How do I arrange a clothing donation in Antigua Guatemala?

1. Message us through the contact form, on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313 or at amaliajarquin@gmail.com. Tell us what you have, in which sizes, and when you arrive.
2. We arrange how to receive it in Antigua Guatemala.
3. Amalia and volunteers deliver it in Las Delicias del Jobo or on the Christmas route, wherever it's needed.

Can't bring anything? Give on GoFundMe: shoes are still on the list of what the schools need, along with school supplies, desks and backpacks. Start with a Smile Project is a nonprofit community initiative, not a registered NGO, so donations are not tax-deductible. We post photos of the deliveries on Facebook and on Instagram (@proyectosonrisas.gt). Learn more about the community on Help Las Delicias.