Are you looking to shed some excess from your closets, kitchen, playroom, or storage space? Rather than send the items you no longer need to the area dump, route them toward a good cause: the OppShop thrift store that benefits the work of Opportunity House. Drop off merchandise at our donation center located behind the thrift store or in one of our 14 donation bins, including at Wyomissing Family Restaurant on Penn Avenue or in the parking garage at the Wyomissing Square Apartment complex on Park Road.
Welcoming Donations to OppShop
OppShop, the retail thrift store on 5th Street Highway in Reading, PA, operates on behalf of Opportunity House. Every dollar of profit goes toward the work of the homeless shelter, and the inventory of clothing and shoes often benefits the immediate needs of the shelter’s residents.
We welcome donations of used items that are still salable. They should be free of stains, tears, pet hair, and operational issues while falling within the categories of goods that we’re able to accept:
- Clothing items for the entire family
- Shoes, jewelry, purses, and bags
- Media including CDs, DVDs, and BluRay discs in original cases
- Kitchenware, including cookware, dishware, utensils, and cutlery
- Seasonal and holiday decor
- Furniture
- Flatscreen televisions
- Toys and stuffies.
Unacceptable Items include any that are outdated, unusable, dirty, or broken, as well as any of the following categories:
- Chemicals
- Older electronics (TVs, stereos, copy machines, computer monitors)
- Building supplies
- Office chairs with fewer than five wheels
- Tires.
When merchandise doesn’t sell at OppShop, we don’t route it to the landfill. Instead, we recycle these goods from our warehouse, partnering with nationwide recycling companies to handle 700,000 pounds of merchandise annually.
When you’re ready to donate merchandise to OppShop, you’ll find several avenues for delivering donations and the option to schedule our team to collect large, bulky items like furniture.
Other donations can be brought directly to our donation center behind OppShop. Our team will help you unload your vehicle.
The donation bins we have spread throughout the county are also available for donations of items like DVDs, CDs, books, clothing, and shoes that will fit within a grocery-sized bag. Trash bags will not fit in the bins, and while we’re grateful for all donations, please keep the bin areas clean and free of debris outside of the container.
Meet the Needs of Opportunity House
When residents come to Opportunity House, we provide them with a welcome kit full of toiletries and items needed for essential self-care. You can contribute to meeting these needs by bringing donations of unopened items directly to the shelter:
- Underclothes like underwear, socks, undershirts, and sports bras;
- Toiletries, including items for hair care, body care, nail care, feminine hygiene, and bladder control;
- Laundry detergent;
- Cold weather clothing, such as coats/jackets, caps and gloves, long sleeve shirts, sweats, yoga pants, and winter boots;
- Baby items like diapers, wipes, and bottles (no food or formula);
- Bottled water (a year-round need).
For confirmation of our current needs, please call (610) 374-4696, ext 221.
Opportunity House Deserves Your Support
Whether you help by donating gently used goods, new items, time, or money, Opportunity House deserves your generosity.
Our mission is to help the area’s homeless men, women, and children, first to survive and then begin to thrive. We offer around-the-clock emergency shelter and transitional and permanent housing with supportive services to help the homeless access and maintain secure housing.
Support the work of Opportunity House by bringing gently used items worthy of donation to the OppShop thrift store drop-off center near Wyomissing, PA.
