Donate Gently Used Items
Clothing & Shoes
We accept gently used clothing in ALL SIZES. The children we support need clothing items from preemie/newborn through adult sizes, as foster "children" grow into adult sizes. Foster kids may be experiencing health issues that cause rapid weight loss / gain in addition to the normal growth spurts of childhood. We invite our member families to refresh their children's wardrobes monthly, which is very helpful.
In addition to their daily wear, our teens need professional wear for jobs and interviews.
If your clothing items are something you would be happy to pass to a friend, we would love to offer them to our member families.
Baby Items
Everyone who has raised a baby knows that they use a lot of stuff!
We accept all baby equipment in good working order, including: bassinets, pack & plays, strollers, high chairs, bouncy seats, activity mats, and more.
We accept clean bottles, sippy cups, and other feeding items.
Baby clothing and other items are appreciated: blankets, crib bedding, burp cloths, bibs, etc.
In other words, if a baby might use it (and it's in good working order), we will happily accept your baby gear!
Sports Equipment
We accept sports equipment of all kinds. From sports balls to shoes, if they are in good usable condition, we will gladly take your sports items!
Bicycles & Tricycles
Scooters & Skateboards
Ride-On Toys
Roller Skates / Ice Skates
Helmets & Safety Padding
Baseball / Softball Equipment
Basketballs & Jerseys
Dance Leotards & Shoes
Football Equipment
Soccer Gear
Swimwear / Swim Team Uniforms
Sneakers & Cleats
... and more!
Seasonal Items & School Uniforms
From swimwear & coverups to winter coats, hats, and gloves, we accept all your seasonal items any time of year!
We accept holiday themed clothing.
School uniforms are also accepted, for any schools in the greater Phoenix metro area.
Toys & Games
Our well-stocked toy room that is a favorite stop when children come with their parents!
Please check to see that your toys and games have all their parts/pieces, as it is disappointing to bring home a new toy or game only to find the parts are missing.
Batteries are always appreciated, but not required when donating electronic toys.
Books & DVDs
We love to encourage reading at all levels, from baby's books through young adult literature.
(Before donating, you may wish to erase or cover your name if written in the book.)
DVDs are a welcome treasure, but we ask that titles are limited to those rated G or PG.
Donate New Items
School Supplies
We offer a special School Supply event to our families each year. With the year-round schedules that most Arizona schools use, this means that we are distributing school supplies in July.
Consider donating new / unused school supplies, as well as new / gently used backpacks. Donations are accepted all year long.
We try to collect & organize supplies by June so that they are available for distribution in July.
Holiday Gifts
Winter Holidays are celebrated by the majority of the families we support, and gift giving on a budget is tough! To help, we offer Holiday Shopping to our families, where we offer a new toy / gift for each child, as well as stocking stuffers, clothing items, personal care items, and their own pillow & blanket.
If you have new toys or gifts to donate, we would love to accept them year-round! We organize all our Holiday donations by November and start distributing them to families in December. We provide gifts for all ages, from 0 months - 18 years to the parents, who can then gift the items to their children.
Please donate items unwrapped.
New Clothing
New clothing is a treasured item for our families. We reserve new clothing items for our giveaway events, so that children can see they have something that is "just for them."
Do you love finding a good bargain? If you find some great deals on new clothing that might not be the size your family needs, think of Jose's Closet!
Gift Cards
Children in foster care do not get to make many decisions for themselves. Gift cards can give them the power to make their own selections, which is a very meaningful thing.
Consider a $10-25 gift card as a gift, particularly for our teens. You can even order them online and have them shipped right to Jose's Closet!
Stocking Stuffers & Wrapped Candies
We gladly accept small items that make good "stocking stuffers" or "basket fillers"!
Coloring books, markers, small puzzles (new), and more are great ideas.
Individually-wrapped candies, Easter-style treats, Valentine's treats and classroom cards, are all happily accepted.
Gift Wrap & Party Supplies
We ask that all donations be given unwrapped, but all gift wrap supplies are always welcome and appreciated. Whether for birthdays or holidays, gift wrap is always appreciated.
Birthdays always feel a little more fun when decorated with fun party supplies. New or gently used party decor and themed paper products are appreciated.
Food Pantry
We operate a modest food pantry
Our food pantry is small but helpful. We work with a local food bank to bring shelf-stable items to our member families. Whether food or paper products, we will happily pass along anything that helps.
What Can Be Donated?
We welcome donations of shelf-stable food. Food items should be commercially packaged, and within the expiration date. Dry goods and canned goods, as well as bottled drinks are our main focus at this time.
Individually-wrapped candy goods are very popular at Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Easter. (We consider these Giveaway items, not food pantry items.)
Baby food is always in demand. Any baby food items with current expiration dates are accepted.
Household items, like paper towels, tissue, garbage bags, zipper-style storage bags, etc. are always needed.
What Isn't Accepted?
We can only offer room-temperature storage, so freezer, fresh, or perishable items are not accepted.
Items need to have a readable expiration date, so open packages of food items are not accepted.
Grocery Gift Cards
Grocery gift cards are welcome donations.
Items Not Accepted
Used Stuffed Animals
Stuffed animals can be difficult to clean, so we accept new stuffed animals only. We do accept accessories for stuffed animals, such as clothing.
Stained / Torn Clothing
We don't offer stained or torn clothing to our families. Donated clothing should be in wearable condition. Please consider donating your stained / torn items to a fabric recycler instead.
Bicycles in Need of Repair
Bicycles are one of the most requested items for our children, and we love to provide new or used bicycles. Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to make repairs, including fixing flat tires.
Adult Materials
Some of our volunteers are students, so please remove any movies rated PG-13 or higher, as well as any other adult content from your donation.
Furniture... But We Can Help Find a Home For It
If you have furniture to donate, especially twin beds or smaller dressers, please email us. We will send word to our families to see if anyone has a need at the time, and will connect you with the family in need to arrange the donation. We can give you a materials donation receipt, but do not have room to store items at our current location. We limit our matchmaking services to smaller bedroom furniture and baby items only.
Materials for Our Resource Center
Retail Clothing Racks
One of our goals is to transition from displaying our clothing in bins to hanging all items on clothing racks. Retail clothing racks are part of this dream! Racks can be fixed or rolling.
Hangers
We use plastic hangers and safety pins to display our items. Wire hangers are not preferred, as they are easily tangled.
Storage Tubs
We currently display our available clothing inventory in large plastic storage tubs. These are used constantly and need to be replaced. Lids are useful, but not necessary. Clear bins are preferred.
Industrial / Retail Shelving
Sturdy shelving is always needed to display toys & games, books, shoes, bedding and other linen, and for storage. We welcome donations and custom built shelving donations.
Office Supplies
Printer paper, pens, receipt books (triplicate copy), a laminator with laminating sheets, push pins, safety pins, markers, large garbage bags, ziploc bags, rubber bands, zip ties, and more are always useful.
Shopping Carts
Shopping carts are always on our Wish List! We use them to bring donations into our Sorting Room, and our members use them when shopping.