Our Story

Have you ever had a dream that you followed through with, only to later discover that you could change your life and impact your community for years to come? Well, that is exactly what happened many years ago for Todd and me.

We’ve always shared a desire to serve those who were less fortunate than ourselves in our community. So it wasn't a surprise to me when the idea for something like Give To Others came to Todd one day.

While out for our morning walks, we would often see things in good condition placed at the curb. Children's bicycles, furniture, toys, and household items, most of which were in good condition. We just knew there had to be someone out there who could utilize these items and put them to good use. The big question for us was who and how would we connect these people.

It wasn't long before Todd came up with an idea to create a website that would make the process of connecting people and businesses who wanted to give, to local organizations in need.

We realized that if so many websites could successfully connect people to SELL goods, then why couldn’t a website help people GIVE goods? The concept just made sense.

The process would be good for the environment, fast, free, and efficient, while helping donors get organized. More importantly, it would foster a feeling of pride within them knowing their unwanted goods would be making a difference in other people's lives. Thus, in 2001 Give To Others was born.

When we launched, only 5 charities enrolled. However, as they say, "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work," and that is exactly what occurred for us. We reached out to our friends, neighbors, community leaders, and local business owners to encourage them to try the G.T.O. online process. Fortunately, as more and more charities began to obtain many of the vital donations they and their clients needed, these success stories began to spread. In addition, more people began to visit the site to give.

In no time at all, G.T.O. grew to enroll over a hundred Central New York non-profit organizations. Todd and I were ecstatic to witness how helpful this new resource was to local charities, many with budget constraints. We were thrilled at the number of individuals who were being assisted and blessed through the Give To Others connection.

Todd and I learned early on that even the most unique donation could be used by someone. One day we were shocked when 12 new telephone poles were posted on the site. Together we questioned, "who wants telephone poles?". To our surprise, a local charity that provided horseback riding and other farm experiences to foster children had accepted the telephone poles. The poles fulfilled a dream to fence in more land and expand their facility to accommodate more foster children. We were so amazed at this turn of events and thrilled to receive such positive feedback from the director of the HHH Farm.

Then, there there was the time a sweet, 84-year-old woman was sleeping on her apartment floor. She received a nearly new twin mattress and frame to sleep on. There was the family who accepted a hot tub for their handicapped daughter so she could receive daily physical therapy at home. We have had many businesses donate wonderful goods as well. Such as the paint store that donated cases of professional-grade paint, which ended up in the hands of four different local charities. We have so many beautiful exchange stories that we wish we could share. It is our hope that you will one day experience the joy and reward of helping a fellow neighbor in need through the Give To Others website.

Todd and I are often asked why we continue to manage Give To Others. The answer is simple: We have tried to instill in our family that our purpose on this earth is to serve others and to use our gifts and talents to accomplish this. We try to model this for our children by actually getting out there in the community and being hands-on. You may agree that we might not be able to change the world, but as Martin Luther King stated many years ago, "We can all do small great things."

Give To Others is our way to do just that. We are proud that our website has changed the lives of many individuals and assisted hundreds of organizations to meet the need of their clients in a substantial way. Plus, it has been beyond rewarding to see the enthusiasm of the community we live in and their willingness to give, as well as the positive feedback from so many enrolled organizations over the years.

We welcome you to try the website and experience firsthand the convenience of giving and the joy of helping others.

We especially want to thank all of the generous donors who have utilized the Give To Others website over the years! It would not have been a success without you, the community, who have so graciously assisted Give To Others in helping those in need.

Todd and Amy Caputo
Founders of Give To Others