04/13/2026
We know you mean well, butâŠ
We DONâT want your
Sheets with a stain (coffee spill?) that you canât get out and when crawling into bed that stain is, ummmâŠquestionable. Or just gross, thus your desire to depart from said sheets.
Frying pan with coating that is badly scrapped up and is possibly leaving fragments in your scrambled eggs.
Grannyâs old plastic Tupperware that even after washing is sticky to the touch because Granny got it as a wedding present and it is still functional (but letâs be real, you donât want your leftovers in old sticky plastic, so you are getting rid of it).
The comforter that despite washing 12 times still smells like smoke (or other unpleasant odor).
Those kitchen gadgets that were cool when you bought them, but honestly donât work wellâŠand is perhaps missing a small (crucial) piece.
Any linens that have an odd tear that you have no idea where it came from, but when you go to use it, it feels like you might be using a shop towel.
Dishes with chips or cracks, but fond memories of when you knocked it against the counter accidentally when celebrating your birthday. Trust us - it is simply a broken dish to someone without the memory.
What we are saying is, PLEASE THINK ABOUT YOUR DONATIONS CAREFULLY. If you are parting with the item because there is an âickâ factor or it doesnât work as it should, we politely decline.
Folks exiting homelessness are building a home, building a new life. They deserve to do so with gently used items that are clean, with no tears, stains or broken parts.
Next Chapter is built on love and powered by joy. We have an incredibly small all-volunteer team. Every donation that comes in is inspected and cleaned before it goes into the showroom. Every item that is too tired or broken has to be sorted for garbage, recycling or donation to other sources (we give a lot of really tired linens to animal shelters). It takes time away that our volunteers could be working on serving our clients, and we simply do not have time to spare. THANK YOU!
