Community Thrift Store, founded in 1982, is a nonprofit retail organization supporting over 200 Bay Area charities. They help close the loop on consumer waste, give new life to donated merchandise, and provide a unique shopping experience. Find out more in this article.
What is Community Thrift Store?
The community thrift store is a non-profit retail organization and sustainable business that raises funds for over 200 bay area charities.
How it Works
Community thrift stores accept donations on behalf of their charity partners, sell the items in their store, and then disburse the proceeds. When donating to community thrift store, you can select which charity should benefit from the sale of your items.
In simpler terms, you donate your stuff, go ahead to choose a local charity partner, as soon as your donation gets purchased, the charity partner you chose gets paid and your stuff is sent to a new home.
Who Does Community Thrift Store Work With?
In 1982, the Community Thrift store was established as part of a grassroots initiative to raise money for charities that supported and advocated for those afflicted by the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since then, we’ve grown to collaborate with more than 200 different nonprofit groups. Our charity partners’ objectives range from protecting the environment to empowering women and minorities, but they are all focused on meaningfully enhancing the Bay Area.
Charity Categories
Community thrift store charity categories include Art, Education, Health, Animals, Social Impact, Religious Orgs, Environmental, Hunger & homelessness, AIDS/HIV, LGBTQ, Women’s Orgs, Children and Youth, Seniors and Veterans, Minority Empowerment, Community and Human Rights.
How Does Community Thrift Store Benefit the Bay Area?
It might interest you to know that Community thrift store collaborates with local nonprofit organizations to give them a second source of income. Thus, Community members who might not be able to contribute money or their time can still assist more than 200 projects by donating gently worn clothing or household items. In addition, customers can discover unique treasures and daily necessities at reasonable pricing.
How Does Community Thrift Store Choose Their Charity Partners?
With regards to choosing their partners, community thrift store work with charitable organizations in the Bay Area that are registered with the IRS as a 501-(c)(3) charity.
Most importantly, Community Thrift Store has a policy of non-discrimination and only work with partners who are also non-discriminatory.
Their charity partners have varied missions, from preserving the environment to empowering women and minorities, however, they all work to enrich the Bay Area in a meaningful way.
How Charity Partners Benefit From Community Thrift Store
Local charities frequently receive offers of gently used clothing or furniture, but they may not have the space or resources to accept such donations. By working with Community thrift store, they can persuade people to send them their gently used goods, and when the donor chooses their charity, they will receive the sale proceeds.
How Much Has Community Thrift Store Raised for Bay Area Charities?
Over the years Community thrift stores have contributed millions of dollars to Bay Area organizations. To be precise, In the year 2018, over $420,000 was given to their charity partners.
Why Donate to Community Thrift Store
Wondering why you should donate to Community thrift store? Well, this is why – Community Thrift is an independent and non-discriminatory non-profit establishment. The exciting part is that when you donate with them you can pick your favorite charity and get a tax receipt! They also accept donations on behalf of their charity partners, sell the items in their store, and then disburse the proceeds.
Community Thrift Store Tax Number
Here’s Community thrift store Federal Tax ID Number: 23-7262039. You should note that Community thrift store can only provide one tax receipt per donor.
What You Will Find at Community Thrift Store
Here are some of the eclectic mix of donated items you will find at Community thrift store: Household necessities like kitchenware to furniture and home decor spanning antique to Danish modern and mid-century. They offer an ever rotating stock of men’s and women’s clothing in new and vintage styles, plus fun accessories, jewelry and shoes.
Speaking of books, their book section is packed with everything from classic literature to celebrity autobiographies. It doesn’t matter if you’re furnishing a new apartment, refreshing your wardrobe, or hunting for rare collectibles, there is something for every shopper at Community thrift store.
How to Donate to Community Thrift Store
Already planning on donating to Community thrift store? Here’s how to donate.
Before you go to Community thrift store to donate your items, be sure to note that their donation door is open from 10 am-5 pm seven days a week. The donation center is located on the south side of the building on Sycamore Alley, parallel to 18th Street and perpendicular to Mission and Valencia Streets (Sycamore runs one way from Mission toward Valencia).
Furniture Donations
Furniture pick-up is available in San Francisco Sunday through Thursday. In addition, take note that they typically make reservations around three to four weeks in advance and furniture donations can be dropped off at their store any day from 10am-5pm.
Community Thrift Store Hours
The Community thrift store operates seven days a week. They are open from 10 am to 7 pm.
Community Thrift Store Donation Holiday Hours
Below is a detailed information about Community thrift store donation holiday hours:
New Year’s Day – Closed
Easter Sunday – Close at 4:00pm (Donations close at 2pm)
Memorial Day – Close at 4:00pm (Donations close at 2pm)
Gay Pride Day (Last Sunday in June) – Closed
4th of July – Close at 4:00pm (Donations close at 2pm)
Labor Day – Close at 4:00pm (Donations close at 2pm)
Day before Thanksgiving – Close at 3:00pm (No Donations Accepted)
Thanksgiving – Closed
Christmas Eve – Close at 3:00pm (No Donations Accepted)
Christmas – Closed
New Year’s Eve – Close at 3:00pm (No Donations Accepted)
Community Thrift Store Welcome Donations
Before bringing your Donation items to Community thrift store donation center or store, consider the following welcome donations by Community thift store:
1. Clean, gently used adult clothing and shoes
2. Jewelry and Accessories
3. Art and Collectibles
4. Household Furniture
5. Housewares
6. Movies and Music
7. Electronics
8. Books
TIP: Ensure items are clean and in a sellable condition to avoid refusal.
Community Thrift Store Unacceptable Donations
Just like every other thrift store, community thrift store has some unacceptable donation items. They include
1. No Automobiles
2. No Children’s Items
3. No Baby Furniture
4. No Car Seats
5. No Children’s Clothing and No Toys
6. No Cribs
7. No High Chairs
8. No Strollers
9. No Christmas Trees or Stands (Other Xmas decor only accepted Sept. through Dec.)
10. No Clothing Hangers
11. No Cosmetics and No Toiletries
12. No Exercise Equipment and No Sporting Goods
13. No Bowling balls
14. No Exercise Bikes and No Treadmills
15. No Golf Equipment
16. No Ski Equipment
17. No Tents, No Sleeping Bags/Pads
18. No Yoga Mats
19. No Food Products
20. No Hazardous Materials
21. No Chemicals
22. No Cleaners
23. No Fire Extinguishers
24. No Fluorescent/CFL Bulbs
25. No Paint
26. No Smoke Detectors
27. No Inflatable Items
28. No Medical Supplies or Equipment
29. No Outdated Media
30. No CDs without jewel cases
31. No Encyclopedias
32. No Home recorded tapes
33. No VHS Tapes
34. No Softline Household Items
35. No Blinds, No Curtains, No Window Dressings
36. No Fabric and No Remnants
37. No Pillows
38. No Sheets, No Blankets or No Sleeping Bags
39. No Towels
40. No Rugs
Unacceptable Types of Electronics
41. No E-Waste or Broken Items
42. No Copiers, No Printers, No Scanners, and No Fax Machines
43. No Humidifiers, No Dehumidifiers, No Air Purifiers
44. No Fluorescent/CFL bulbs
45. No Major Appliances
46. No Rear projection TVs
47. No Smoke Detectors
48. No Steam Cleaners
50. No Vacuum Cleaners
Unacceptable Types of Furniture
51. No Baby and Children’s Furniture
52. No Bed Frames
53. No Bean Bags
54. No Box Springs
55. No Futons
56. No Mattresses
57. No Office furniture
58. No Cubicles
59. No Conference Tables
60. No Filing Cabinets
61. No Large Desks (over 5 ft.)
62. No Outdoor/Patio Furniture
63. No Particle Board Furniture
64. No Sofa Beds
65. No Unassembled Furniture
Community Thrift Store Online?
Unfortunately Community thrift store do not sell items online. They seem to be keeping their business local around the bay area. To find out about their latest goods, you could check them out on Instagram where they help keep their loyal customers updated.
Tips for Community Thrift Store Donors
1. Try to Keep Your Cool During Busy Times
Every day from 10 am to 5 pm, we take donations, while certain periods are busier than others. Although our team makes every effort to assist donors as promptly as possible, if you visit on a Saturday afternoon please be prepared to wait.
2. Pre-Wash is Strongly Advised
Ensure your clothes donations are clean since we lack the means to launder goods. Additionally, household objects should be spotless and unharmed. Usually, anything that cannot be used again cannot be sold.
3. Maintain Organization
Sorting can be sped up by grouping related items together. Please remove clothing from hooks and package or bag it independently from other household items. It is useful to have separate boxes for things like books and records.
4. Wrap it up Nicely
Any fragile products should not be broken before they are given to their new owner since we would detest that! Please use newspaper or garment donations to wrap breakables. Think about its value Before you drop off, consider the value you want to deduct on your tax receipt. Although we are unable to provide a figure, many experts believe that fair market value should be around 30% of the item’s original cost. Additionally, think about which of our 200+ charity partners you want to receive your money from.
