Donation Center

Your donations of reusable clothing and small household items help support The Arc’s mission to provide advocacy, support, and services to people experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Please be sure to review the information below on what items we can accept and which are not accepted.

NOTE: Due to COVID guidelines, we can only accept items in bags or boxes. You cannot empty your containers into our bin and keep the containers.

At our donation center we accept:

Clothing
Small Household Items
Scrap Metal
Small Electronics

Acceptable Items for Donation

All donations must be fully functional, without damage, and ready for a new home. We may refuse items that are dirty, wet, in need of repair, or have missing parts. We have the right to refuse items, and this is at the discretion of The Arc’s Donation Attendant.

The following is a list of the items that we are able to accept.

Clothing, coats, jackets*
Shoes and purses*
Bedding, towels*
Curtains and drapes*
Fabric, thread, and patterns*
Small furniture items
(small dressers, nightstands, end tables, lamps)
Jewelry and watches
Records
Books

*Clothing and textiles must be packed separately in durable plastic bags.

Dishes, silverware, and cookware
Toys, dolls, and games
Recreational and camping gear
Tools and toolboxes
Musical instruments
Pictures and paintings
Personal electronics (mp3 players, CD players, radios, cameras)

Please do not leave your items after hours.

To ensure that your donation receives the most value and can be reused, please don’t leave them outside the building after hours. Donations become weathered and prone to theft, thus resulting in trash disposal.

Items We Do NOT Accept

The Arc Portland Metro appreciates your donations, and we are sorry we cannot accept certain items. We work with different agencies to keep items out of our landfills and the local waste stream.

Please contact Metro Recycling for items we do not accept. It has an extensive referral system that can assist you.

Mattresses, hide-a-beds, sleeper sofas, bunk beds, cribs, and box springs
Furniture: large items, those in poor construction, and those with broken or missing pieces
Appliances such as refrigerators and freezers
Mini-blinds, drapes on rods, and curtain rods
Baby furniture: cribs, car seats, play pens, and high chairs
Kidde pools and large plastic toys, such as ride-on toys
Anything that needs to be built in, such as toilets, sinks, and cabinets
Gas-powered equipment, like lawn mowers, trimmers/edgers, gas cans, etc.
Clothes that are dirty, musty, smoky or wet. No rips, stains, or tears
Shoes that are overly worn or dirty, or have as rips, stains, or tears
Dated material such as encyclopedias, text books, and magazines
Pillows, mattress pads

Bicycles
Bean bag chairs
Golf clubs and bags
Auto parts, such as mats, oil, or fluids
Building materials
Firearms and ammunition
Food and beverages (including pet and baby formula)
Household chemicals
Paint and paint thinners
Medications and vitamins
Pianos and organs
Large carpets and padding
Plastic containers and lids
Cleaning supplies, such as cleaners, mops, and brooms
Vacuums and carpet-cleaning machines
Suitcases (unless new)
Unframed mirrors
Stereo speakers
VHS tapes or empty CD cases

Electronics Recycling

We accept old electronics for our recycling program:

Computers
Computer monitors
Televisions
Desktop printers
Smaller items such as keyboards, mice, cell phones, etc.

Please clean off or remove your hard drive from your computer. We are not liable or responsible for any theft of information.

Scrap Metal Recycling

We accept items made from steel, aluminum, copper, stainless steel, brass, and tin:

Washers
Dryers
Stoves/ranges
Metal bed frames
Microwaves
Cookware, flatware
Free weights
Wiring
Extension cords

Furniture

We DO NOT accept any large furniture at our donation center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer a used goods donation pick-up service?

No, we do not offer a pick-up service, but are happy to accept your gently-used items at our donation center located at 6929 NE Halsey St., just east of Portland’s Hollywood district.

Do you take bedroom sets, dining room tables, armoires, couches, and other large pieces of furniture?

We take small furniture items like end tables, small dressers, artwork, and kitchenware, but large items like mattresses/box springs, bed frames and bedroom sets, dining room furniture, and wardrobes are not accepted. Click here for a list of what we can/cannot take, or send an email to TheARCUGO@thearcmult.org with a specific question and pictures.

I replaced my old TV with a new flatscreen model. Can you recycle it?

Yes! The Arc is a registered ecycler, and is able to accept your TV, computer, computer monitor, desktop printer, keyboard, and mouse for processing.

I have an old fridge, dishwasher, and air conditioner I’d like to donate. Do you take these?

No, we don’t, but we can accept your old stove, washer, dryer, microwave, and extension cords as a part of our scrap metal recycling program. If we can’t accept your item, Metro Recycling Experts are a great resource to find out who can: (503) 234-3000.

What do you do with the donated items you get?

A majority of your reusable and recyclable items are sorted and sold to a variety of partners as a way of keeping them out of landfills and reducing pollution. Since 2021, we are selling these items at our very own thrift store! We use the proceeds to run our reuse program and provide programming and services to people who experience I/DD. We also rely on the generous support of Arc members, charitable foundations, and the public. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today!

Do you accept donations at the store?

Due to space limitations, we do not accept used goods donations at The Arc Thrift Store. Please drop them off at our used goods donation center at 6929 NE Halsey St.

I still have more questions!

Submit your question by emailing us at TheArcUGO@TheArcPDX.org.

Your donations are appreciated, and they do make a difference. Thank you for your support!