The Global paint for Charity was originally started in 2010, incorporated in Georgia in 2011 and federally recognized as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization in 2012. Its mission is to collect leftover architectural paint from residences and businesses nationwide for use in global housing rehabilitation projects, including homes, schools, hospitals, orphanages and churches for vulnerable families in developing countries. The Global Paint for Charity has a passion for people, paint and the environment. Together we will reduce waste, protect the environment, provide paint to vulnerable populations and paint the world in lasting color.

Paint gives us color which gives us beauty, joy, freedom and life’s distinction. It is very evident that a little layer of paint on the walls can truly change the feeling and ambiance of a place that’s called home, whether it is a workplace, school and library, orphanage, hospital, church, refugee camp or prison. The right paint color can uplift the spirit and create happiness for years to come, but paint can also be a source of both air and water pollution- especially if it ends up in landfills. The US EPA has found that recycling paint reduces water pollution by 35% and air pollution by 74%. Another major factor behind the Global Paint movement is that paint can help save lives. Putting high-quality of paint on the walls can protect exterior and interior surfaces from bacterial objects, diseases, viruses, bad germs, temperature changes and much more. Last but not least, I love paint. When I was a child, I used to love to draw and enjoy seeing how things like houses, doors, and other objects look outside. I always had a late night date with my pencil and sheets of paper. I drew houses, cars, and buildings that did not even exist in my neighborhood. I used bright colors such as red, yellow, pink, and blue on the walls, and it was beautiful. My house was not even painted the same way; it was just my imagination and curiosity. Today I feel very grateful for being able to reduce waste, and founded the first charitable organization to help provide paint to vulnerable populations all around the world while protecting the environment. It is like a dream come true.

Thank you for contacting The Global Paint for Charity regarding your paint disposal and donation. We appreciate you’re helping us with our mission to recycle leftover paint from businesses and residences, process it and then donate it to vulnerable families in developing countries all around the world. Please visit our DONATE page for details on the different ways you can support our efforts. You can also call us toll-free at 855-853-7772 or email us at info@globalpaints.org . Please include in your email: 1) the quantity of paint that you have, 2) your physical location and 3) the best possible pickup date and time if you don’t plan to leave the paint outside if you are unavailable. Within 48 hours, a Global Paint volunteer will contact you with details about your pickup date or a drop-off location in your area. For larger donations (100+ gallons) or information about sponsoring a Paint Donation Drive, please contact Rony Delgarde directly at ronydelgarde@globalpaints.org. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Thank you for considering a donation of paint to The Global Paint for Charity. For the most part we recycle all architectural paint, which is defined under EPA regulations as “interior and exterior architectural coatings sold in containers of five gallons or less.” However, Global Paint will not take the following items: paint thinners, stains, dry-out paint, spackle, opened cans of oil paint or rusted cans of latex paint containing less than 25% of wet paint. Please understand we try to help those in need and brighten the world we live in. Your gift of usable paint is very welcome and will provide great benefits to many families around the world.

We pick up paint donations from local residences, businesses, retails, hotels, hospitals, apartment complexes or residential buildings. That means for the first time, residents and businesses can properly dispose their leftover paint without having to pay big fees at the point of collection. The program has two subprograms called ONE STOP PAINT DROP and ONE STOP PAINT DRIVE. Because of word of mouth and amazing support from the MEDIA, we are able to partner with organizations such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, Home Depot and Sherwin Williams in certain areas. Our volunteers visit these participating organizations once or twice a month to pick up donated paint and monetary donation. As a matter of fact, you can help us by asking retail and other organizations in your area if they participate or support the Global Paint programs. Our drop-off locations may vary by retailer and participant, so please check with stores and organizations in your area before taking your paint for disposal. We also have frequent paint donation drives at local schools, churches, corporate buildings and waste management agencies. For information on collection sites or our next paint donation drive in your area, please email info@globalpaints.org. These programs and others are already underway , but we hope to partner with more organizations so that Global Paint for Charity can recycle more paints.

Typically, we collect around 3,000-6,000 gallons of paint per drive. The greatest results come when there is good publicity and other assistance provided by the drive organizers. For instance, the Solid Waste Management of Gwinnett County recycled over 6,000 gallons of paint on a single day at the Gwinnett Braves offices in Buford Georgia. The good thing about this drive is free and it features paper shredding and collection of other items such as electronics and tires. Hosting a GPC Paint Drive is an easy way to help ensure that leftover paint does not end up in landfills. To organize a GPC Paint Drive in your area, please email info@globalpaints.org

We consolidate the paint and ship it overseas in drums or five-gallon buckets made of plastic fabrics. We don’t ship cans and quarts of paint containers because they may be made of cheap metal that can deteriorate or break down if exposed to server salty sea air and ocean water. This is especially true for shipment to seaports in Africa or certain regions in Central America and Caribbean. We work closely with our distribution partners, missionary churches, charitable organizations and U.S. government agencies operating in developing countries to manage the distribution of the paint. Accountability is essential to our success. So we seek out organizations that have a proven track record of successfully getting the paint to the vulnerable populations, distributing it properly and being able to handle the responsibilities of a paint project while keeping the paint out of the hands of corrupt government officials, criminals and local entrepreneurs. We require our partners to document how they distribute our paint and provide us with testimonials and “Before and After” pictures of the places that were painted and families who receive the paint whenever possible.

GPC has donated as much as 500-to-6000 gallons of paint at a time to support projects in Haiti, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, El Salvador, Guyana, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. Paint goes to developing countries where the most of vulnerable population have no access to paint or have a majority of people living at poverty-level. Not long ago, for example, we donated 200 gallons of paint to renovate an orphanage for 800 children who lost their parent to HIV/AIDS.

We give each organization as much as 200-to-6000 gallons at a time, per request. In fact, over 1.6 billion residents are in developing countries with unpainted schools, churches hospitals, and, live in poor quality housing, orphanages or neglected refugee camps. Must developing countries have between 80% and 90% of its population without access to paint. On average it takes about 2,000 donated gallons of paint (containers are typically 1/2 full or less) to get 300 to 500 gallons of good or better paint. So we need a good amount of donated paint to keep our program running.

When donating paint and paint products, we generally work with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as church groups, missionaries and healthcare organizations in the recipient countries. We recognize that it is not enough to simply beautify people’s homes and schools, donate paint and walk away. It is not enough to just send the paint then “wait and see.” This is why we seek to partner with more organizations that promote continued sustainability and economic development in the developing world. Many organizations are building schools with sport stadiums, libraries, orphanages, hospitals, clinic centers, churches, and family homes for local residents. In this context, our paint can be used to jump start their projects to help millions of people and families around the world and save these organizations thousands of dollars. We ask that they keep the paint out of the hands of corrupt government officials and criminals and make sure the local residents don’t sell the paint. In order to achieve the greatest efficiency and sustainability, we require certain commitments from our partners and donees in the geographical locations where they assist us. We conduct annual surveys of organizations that participate in our programs. The vast majority of respondents in our latest survey believe The Global Paint for Charity is the revolution needed to change lives and transform communities around the world.

Believe it or not, most developing countries do not have paint. Usually, trees are used to burn stones and soil to make color powders for paint, and fruits and vegetable (i.e. beets, lime, strawberries, etc.) have to be used to make paint. This outdated practice existed hundred thousand of years ago, simply because people didn’t have the today’s technology to make paint.

However, people who live on less than $2 a day should not have to use their food resources to beautify their homes.

You won’t believe the difference your paint donation will make in many lives for many years. The families we help can’t tell you how much they appreciate your paint donation. It is evident that painting homes in developing countries is one of the most fundamental gifts. If you have read the book or seen the movie “A Painted House” by John Grisham, you have a much more graphic illustration about the value of a family having a house that is painted. Please refer to this link http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/16/world/iyw-global-paint-project to view a CNN interview and gain a perspective of the impact we are making both internationally and locally.

Thank you for your interest in organizing a paint drive for us. The Global Paint for Charity Paint Drive program was named one of the top 100 best community projects in the nation. Also The Tampa Bay Business Journal nominated The Global Paint for Charity for its most prestigious 2013 Nonprofit Organization of the Year Awards. Rony Delgarde, the founder of Global Paint for Charity, was recently named a 2013 Allstate Champion for Good as a part of the Give It Up For Good campaign. The Global Paint for Charity was nominated for the 2014 Nonprofit of the Year Awards by Albuqueue Business First, the leading source for business news in the New Mexico region. A paint donation drive is an incredible way to engage volunteers and introduce The Global Paint for Charity to your community, school, church or organizations. Schedule to run a paint drive, please email info@globalpaints.org and indicate which school or organization is sponsoring it. Your members, students or parents get involved by collecting paint and monitoring the drive, while raising $1000s for your programs. WE will collect the paint to help those in need around the world, DONORS will get rid of their old leftover paint, and YOU will help your community with the funds you raise. SO EVERYBODY WINS! We believe everyone that donated to support our cause would feel better about themselves, no matter how small they contribute. You can find more information at the “organize” tab on the website. We look forward to working with you to protect the environment and contribute to the beautification of the globe.

Our travel program mainly targets high-achieving minority students and volunteers who are looking to gain global exposure or diverse experience abroad. It is designed to allow student to help in a way that community will benefit from. Students or volunteers will work side by side with local community members in a variety of small villages (areas have no electricity, clean drinking water, access to Internet etc…) to paint and solve local problems. Traveling abroad to help beautify homes and communites for those in need around the world is fun and rewarding learning experience. Such experience also helps students to be competitive and stand-out in the global market. If you would like to volunteer abroad, please contact our team at info@globalpaints.orgto get started.

Up to 60% of the paint we receive is appropriate. However, not all collected gallon and can containers of leftover paint are totally full. Some are 1/4 or less full and some are more than 1/2 full. Regardless of the amount found in a container, our donors are using this as an opportunity to “clean out their basements and protect the environment.” So everybody wins!

We are currently recycling paint from businesses and residents in Atlanta, Miami and Orlando Florida, North Carolina, and will soon include Boston, MA, Philadelphia, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. We have recently added collection sites in certain areas in Australia, Japan, UK, France, and Germany. In fact we opened a plant in Honduras to provide paint to our projects in Central America, we will soon build a plant in Cameroon, Ghana and Haiti. We will continue to expand our program globally.

Each year in honor of Memorial Day, 9/11 and Veterans Day, The Global Paint for Charity partners with various volunteer groups and organizations across the country to rehabilitate homes for veterans. Many veterans and their families have critical housing rehabilitation needs, with homes that require everything from significant repairs and upgrades to painting. More than 20 million brave men and women have fought in various wars to keep our nation safe, so the best way we can honor their sacrifice is by showing support and making a difference in their lives. According to some data, more than 1 million veterans’ homes need to be repainted. We recently create a sub-project “REHABILITATING HEROES’HOME PROJECT” to ensure that every veteran’s home is painted with recycled paint from businesses and residents around the nation, one can at a time.

For more information about the Rehabilitating Heroes’ Homes Project in your area, please contact us at info@globalpaints.org

Yes. While we appreciate your generosity, Global Paint will not evaluate your paint donations. Federal laws and EPA regulations state that paint is a common product that can become a household hazardous waste if not used up; and must be in “good used” standards or better in order to be classified as tax deductible. Global Paint for Charity is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the IRS. The donation you make to Global Paint for Charity is a tax-deductible. When you make a donation through our website, you will receive the confirmation by e-mail for your tax records. You also can print the confirmation page that appears on your computer screen after you’ve completed your on-line contribution. Also when you donate paint to us, your Paint Donation Request Form is proof that you have properly disposed of your paint (this is very useful for a business). And you can always contact us at any time and we will issue the tax-receipt or a copy of the Paint Donation Request Form. For more information about how to properly record your donations, please contact us at info@globalpaints.org.

We are so excited that you want to donate to our organization. First of all, let me assure you that your choice to donate to Global Paint for Charity is a great one. Not only are you helping to keep paint out of our landfills, but you are changing lives and putting smiles on faces. Thank you for your first step. We have received your donation form. Currently we are planning the best way to collect paint from so many willing donors like yourself. We get hundreds of donation contacts (including phone calls, fax and emails) a day, so please allow 2-3 business days after sending your email for us to find your form. If you haven’t heard from us after that, please email the Global Paint Service Desk at info@globalpaints.org or call us toll-free 855-853-7772. Thank you for your great patience and cooperation, please let us know if you need further assistance.