 The mission of La Casa de las Madres is to help victims of domestic violence of all ages, 24 hours a day, 356 days a year. They help survivors to transform lives through emergency response, support services, and prevention education. La Casa De Las Madres works in partnership with Community Thrift to directly help those in need.
Their website states: "When you take your in-kind donation to the Community Thrift Store and make it in La Casa’s name, your contribution will transform into shopping vouchers that La Casa provides to the women and families in our programs. These vouchers are redeemed for necessities at the thrift store, providing a direct link between your donation and our program participants." La Casa also has a wonderful Adopt-a-Room program! If you have gently used furniture and home decor, consider donating them to this wonderful organization. Their website states: "The Adopt a Room Program allows donors to decorate our shelter rooms with a homey touch and purchase items such as linens, draperies, paintings, and lighting fixtures. Generous donors have furnished bedrooms, equipped our kitchen, and created a colorful mural on the living room walls. Let your creativity take off and enhance a single or family room with your choice of theme and color scheme." LA CASA DE LAS MADRES 1269 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415-503-0500 lacasa.org COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE 623 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-861-4910 communitythriftsf.org
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 The SF-Marin Food Bank operates under the mission to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin. One out of every four of our neighbors is at risk of hunger. Your donation greatly supports the immediate distribution of food throughout San Francisco and Marin as well as longer-term strategies that address hunger and empower our neighbors in need. Their website states:
"Our mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin. Since 1987, the Food Bank has pioneered many successful models aimed at ending hunger. With your support, we continue to innovate and expand to provide more food to neighbors in need." There are many ways to help the SF-Marin Food Bank! You could host a food drive, help with sorting and distribution or donate food directly at one of their many green barrels around the city. My favorite is the one at Rainbow Grocery! Items they especially need:
The SF-Marin Food Bank sfmfoodbank.org  Do you know my favorite go-to site for giving away items that can't go to my usual donation organizations? Nextdoor! Nextdoor a free social network designed to connect neighbors. They have a "For Sale and Free" section that I love. Simply post the item you want to give away, snap a photo, do a write-up and select how widely you want your post to be seen. It's so easy with the app! Interested neighbors will message you arrange to pick it up. Alternately, can put it in a sheltered outdoor spot by your home so they can pick it up at their convenience. Their website states: "Building connections in the real world is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighborhoods are one of the most important and useful communities in our lives, have been a guiding principle for Nextdoor since it was founded in 2011." I love the feeling of posting something - whether it's a box of legos, a ton of paper plates, or a bunny cage - and having a delighted neighbor show up, clearly happy they scored the item for free! Nextdoor nextdoor.com  When working with a client recently we came upon her collection of vintage Laura Ashley dresses and I was instantly taken down memory late. If you are a child of the '80s, as I am, you either had or wanted a Laura Ashley dress.
For those who don't remember, these Little House on the Prarie-style dresses were all the rage in middle and high school. With floral patterns, high necklines, long sleeves, and tea-length hems, these dresses are the opposite of risqué, covering nearly every inch of your body. I can see how parents of teenagers would be on-board with this look! If you can't get enough Laura Ashley, this recent Guardian article gives a nice history of the company. Do you have any Laura Ashley gems still in your closet?  I was recently dropping off some client donations at the West Portal Goodwill Boutique and was struck by how absolutely adorable it was! With a nicely designed interior, great displays and a beautiful selection of clothing if felt much nicer than your standard Goodwill. If you're in the neighborhood, I encourage you to take a look! West Portal Goodwill Boutique 61 W Portal Avenue San Francisco, CA 94127 415-665-7291 Goodwill.org       Today I was helping a client purge some cookbooks and we came upon this gem! It comes from the 1961 edition of The Complete Book of Entertaining by Nata Lee (now residing at Goodwill). In the section on invitations, there is a whole paragraph devoted to sending invitations by telegraph!
I also love the paragraph above that advises when calling people with details about a party to "not leave a message about the party with a servant" because of their unreliability. Not a problem in our household! If you feel that your cookbook library is not complete without the Complete Book of Entertaining, of course, it's available on Amazon!  Recycle Where? is a great tool for helping Bay Area residents determine how to donate, recycle, or responsibly dispose of unwanted items. Simply type the name of the item you are looking to donate into the search bar and up pops a list of organizations that can accept the item. Easy! The website is a collaboration between the city of San Francisco, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the city of Palo Alto.
Their website states: "The goal of Recycle Where? is to reduce waste by providing accurate information about recycling, reuse, and proper disposal options for residents and businesses without regard to traditional municipal boundaries." The next time you are stumped with a donation or disposal item, give Recycle Where? a try! Recycle Where? recyclewhere.org  The Children's Book Project is a wonderful San Francisco non-profit that is dedicated to providing free books to Bay Area children. Their website states:
"The Children’s Book Project was founded to help build literacy by providing new and gently used books for free to children who need them. Since 1992, we have given away over 2.7 million books for children in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Research shows that children to whom books are read have an easier time learning to read than those who don’t have this experience. In addition, evidence shows that reading aloud to children actually helps their brain development. However, many children in the Bay Area and beyond live in homes without books and attend schools and programs where books are in short supply. Encouraging reading is not enough when families do not have books." The Children's Book Project is always in need of new or gently used, books for children of all ages, from infants through teens. Books can be donated on-site or at one of the many blue "Book Bags" at retailers around the city. Here is a list of all retailers with Book Bag donation sites. They especially need:
The Children's Book Project 1360 43rd Avenue, room 105 San Francisco 415.665.6315 childrensbookproject.org  Donation Spotlight for November!
Goodwill sells goods to break the cycle of poverty for thousands of local people through free training and work placement programs. Goodwill has donation sites all over the bay area. Their website states: "Each year, nonprofit Goodwill of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin breaks the cycle of poverty for thousands of local people through our transformative free training and work placement programs. Goodwill serves anyone who comes through our doors with a willingness to work." Things they accept are:
My current favorite Goodwill donation location: 1690 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Phone: 415-558-1760 Mon-Sat 9am-8pm • Sun 10am-7pm Donate at one of their 25 dropoff locations. sfgoodwill.org 
Donation Spotlight for October! Community Thrift Store is a wonderful San Francisco non-profit thrift store. They serve dozens of charity organizations such as Meals on Wheels, The Boys and Girls Club, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, and La Casa De Las Madres. Their website states: "Community Thrift is an independent and non-discriminatory establishment -- when you donate with us you can pick your favorite charity! We accept donations on behalf of our charity partners, sell the items in our store, and then disburse the proceeds." Items they accept for resale are:
Community Thrift Store 623 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 415.861.4910 communitythriftsf.org |
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415-828-9429 erin@pickitupsf.com