Wondering where to donate clothes in Reading, PA? OppShop, a thrift store operated by Opportunity House, serves several functions within the community. Bringing us your gently used clothing and household goods allows those products to enjoy a second life and do good for the region’s homeless population.
Opportunity House Merits Support
Opportunity House provides shelter and supportive services for the homeless population of Berks County. We are a 24/7 emergency shelter that offers three meals and a snack each day, access to laundry and shower facilities, and case management services to overcome housing challenges.
Donate products through three measures:
- The donation center behind the thrift store, which is found at 3045 5th Street Highway, Reading, PA;
- Drop-off bins scattered throughout Berks County; we have 14 of them, which you can quickly locate here;
- Pickup service for the donation of large furniture pieces.
A Guide for Responsibly Donating Clothing
Step One: Sort
Donate with purpose. The clothing you plan to donate must be sorted, clean, stain-free, and tear-free. The items you have with rips and stains can be used for sewing projects, cut down into cloths for household cleaning, or directed toward a recycling station. We can’t sell items that people won’t buy.
Step Two: Determine Donation Destination
Next, you’ll choose where you should direct your donation. Ensure that this destination accepts the goods you plan to donate. OppShop can take men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing and shoes as long as they’re gently worn and in saleable condition.
Step Three: Make Your Donation
Finally, drop off the clothing you plan to donate at our donation center or within one of our donation bins. When you drop off at the donation center, you can request a slip for tax purposes.
Support the Work of Opportunity House through OppShop
Whether you shop with OppShop, donate items to OppShop, or both, you’ll support Opportunity House’s work. All of the profits made at the thrift store go toward the shelter’s work, and we make the inventory available to shelter residents when they need clothing, shoes, and household goods when they enter housing programs.
We accept clothing in all sizes, shoes, jewelry, purses, bags, media in original cases, books, kitchen items, decor, furniture, flatscreens, functional appliances, toys, and other household goods.
We can’t accept old and outdated, non-functioning, broken, torn, or dirty items, chemicals, building supplies, and tires.
If goods we accept fail to sell, we do not send them to the garbage dump. We recycle these unsold products through our partners, recycling 700,000 pounds of goods each year.
Support the Work of Opportunity House through In-Kind Donations
The residents within the shelter generally have pressing needs for hygiene products and clothing. When they arrive, we provide welcome kits with these items, so we consistently need new things in the following categories:
- Underwear, socks, and sports bras;
- Toiletries and hygiene products;
- Laundry care products;
- Cold weather clothing;
- Baby bottles, wipes, and diapers;
- Bottled water
If you’re looking for the best place where you can go to donate clothes in Reading, PA, OppShop extends the impact of your gift throughout the community. Click here to read more about the success stories of Opportunity House.
