Charities to Donate to In Reading, PA

Giving back is good for the soul, not to mention your tax forms. If you’re looking for worthwhile charities to donate to in Reading, PA, we at Opportunity House ask you to consider helping us in our efforts to help the neediest among us.

About Opportunity House

Charities to Donate to In Reading, PAEstablished in 1984, Opportunity House began by providing overnight shelter for the area’s homeless men. Today, we provide shelter for over 5,050 men, women, and children each year. Over the years, as we’ve identified the needs within the community, we have added new services to address them.

We currently provide emergency housing and permanent housing, early childhood education, a community garden, and a recycling/reuse program, and we operate a retail thrift store, OppShop. The services we offer require resources, including grants and funding sources, but we also pursue fundraising efforts.

Guidelines for Choosing a Donation Destination

As you determine where to direct your charitable giving, let’s consider a few principles to follow.

Identify Your Passion

The charity receiving your donation should speak to your heart. Do your interests lean toward literacy, animal rescue, at-risk kids, or helping the poor? Opportunity House offers the charitably minded the opportunity to help the homeless and most vulnerable regain a sense of stability through securing stable housing in the area.

Verify the Charity’s Worthiness

When you give, make sure that you’re not being scammed. Too many of the “charities” seeking donations use a small percentage of what’s donated to actually do good. Opportunity House prides itself on transparency and operating cost-effectively. We believe in putting the donations we receive to good use, doing as much as possible with every dollar.

Local versus Global

Your donation will likely have less impact if given to a distant global cause. When you support local charities, you contribute to the improvement and growth of the place you spend the most time in the world.

Give What You Have

Donations don’t always have to be monetary, especially with Opportunity House. The emergency shelter consistently needs essentials like undergarments, baby supplies, feminine hygiene items, bladder control items, towels, washcloths, and sheets. You can find out our most pressing needs by calling our main office or shopping our Amazon wish list.

The OppShop offers an opportunity for you to recycle and repurpose items, and we pass on the proceeds to fund our work. From furniture to clothing, please bring your items for OppShop to our drop-off facility or find one of our dozen local donation bins. Gently used items are welcome.

Volunteering is yet another avenue for giving. Spend your time doing any of the following:

  • Preparing and serving a meal
  • Working in the community garden, landscaping, general clean up, etc.
  • Serving on a planning committee for our fundraiser events
  • Sorting or stocking inventory or accepting donations at OppShop

Whether you’d like to volunteer individually or as part of a church, social, work, or other organization, we’ll have no problem finding you the ideal volunteer role.

Opportunity House is one of the premier charities in Reading, PA. We are an excellent choice for anyone seeking a worthy cause to donate money, items, or time.

We will pick up items. They can call for pick up.  OR, drop them off at the back of OppShop which is where we take donations.

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