.: Supply Donations :: Sisters of the Road :.

In addition to our Cafe, Research, and Systemic Change Programs, Sisters Of The Road organizes several smaller programs to help people without housing meet their needs. The children’s corner, knitting circle, limited hygiene supplies, and a book exchange are all available to anyone in need of them. These programs are supported primarily by donations of supplies; your help makes a difference and is always appreciated!

Download this information as a pdf.

Hygiene

In order to dedicate more of our resources to our Systemic Change work, Sisters has discontinued the Hygiene Program as of July 1, 2009. We will be continuing to distribute feminine hygiene supplies, infant diapers and wipes, adult diapers, and condoms; donations of all these items are gratefully accepted. Please click here to view local alternate hygiene supply donation sites.

2009 Hygiene Drive

Sisters’ annual winter hygiene drive will happen this year, but with changes reflecting the PC’s shifting focus from direct service to systemic change. Our hygiene program is now limited to items that are needed urgently, but are difficult to come by from other organizations. Sisters is happy to accept and distribute all of the following items:

infant diapers (size 3 and up are most needed)
baby wipes
maxi pads and tampons
adult diapers and bladder control pads
condoms

This winter’s drive has a special focus on infant diapers and wipes. Sizes 3-6 are most desirable. For families struggling to meet basic needs, diapers are among the most expensive items in their budgets. Please help us provide crucial support to these families this winter! Here are alternative donation sites for hygiene items not on our current needs list. Thank you!

Children

racially diverse baby dolls and doll accessories (no barbies or other fashion dolls, please)
any large, sturdy toys without lots of pieces
dramatic play toys
coloring books, construction paper and crayons
sippy cups and bottles
chalk
wall-mounted or ceiling-hangable lamp

Assorted Needs

bus tickets and passes to look for work and make their appointments - honored citizens or all-zone passes/ tickets are most desirable
books for our Personalist Center book exchange
knitting needles for our popular knitting circle

Please fill out an In-Kind Donation Form

When you drop, please take a moment to fill out an In-Kind Donation Form (Click here for a PDF form, or click here for a Word version, or ask the staff person receiving the donation for it) because it’s important for our records. It also serves as a receipt for your own tax purposes. All you need to do is estimate the retail value of the product being donated. Thanks again for thinking of Sisters!

Frequently Asked Questions

When are these items most needed at Sisters Of The Road? Although we make a push to collect supplies during certain times of the year such as the holidays, our customers need these items throughout the year and we will gratefully accept your donations ANY time!

Where do I deliver items?

Please bring them to the cafe at 133 NW Sixth Ave. at the corner of Sixth and NW Davis, Monday through Friday, between 6 am and 5 pm
Or at our office at 618 NW Davis from 9 am to 5 pm
Someone will ask you to fill out an in-kind donation form which you can use for your tax purposes and which helps us track our community support.
Please Note: We are sometimes closed on weekdays for holidays, maintenance or once-a-month trainings. To ensure that someone will be able to accept your donation, please call ahead at (503) 222-5694.

Who will receive these supplies? Individuals and families experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty can receive diapers, adult diapers, feminine hygiene supplies, and condoms at no cost, whenever the items are available. There is no intake procedure.

What items can you not accept? Despite the wide variety of unmet needs faced by people without housing, there are many items that we are not able to accept or distribute. This is because we are short on storage space and there are other great donation sites for these items. Check out the following list of items with their alternative donation sites:

Hygiene Supplies: Transition Projects- 475 NW Glisan, Downtown Chapel- 604 W Burnside, SAFE Shelter- 11 NW 5th Ave.
Clothes: Downtown Chapel- 604 W. Burnside, Blanchet House-340 NW Glisan, or Union Gospel Mission- 3rd & E. Burnside.
Furniture & household items: Community Warehouse - 2267 N. Interstate, 503-235-8786
Most Toys (used toys, fashion dolls, puzzles, toy guns or other war toys, any toy with of small pieces, balls, skates or other outdoor toys; cards): You can donate any of these new toys that are appropriate for children under five to the Insights Teen Parent Program, (503) 239-6996, www.insightstpp.org. For new toys of these types appropriate for older children, try your local Boys and Girls Club.

Can you pick up the supplies? If the supplies are downtown, we may be able to send one of our customers, a barter worker who will earn meals in the Cafe, for the errand. If you live further out, it is difficult for us to pick them up as this takes us away from the vital work we do.

What about children’s holiday gifts?
During the holidays we give donated presents to the children that eat at Sisters. If you would like to do something special for a child living on the streets, in a shelter, or in poverty, we would be very happy to accept donations of gifts and distribute them to the children.

Here’s some suggestions:

Please donate new, unwrapped presents
As always, Sisters says no thank-you to war toys, toy guns and barbies
We have the greatest need for items for kids ages 5-15 years, and a mix of boys’ and girls’ toys
Gift certificates are a great idea for teens
No clothes please; families are able to get them other places and our space is limited
No adults’ gifts please

Thank you for your generosity and willingness to share your bounty!

To learn more about collecting any of the above items at your business, church, school, or other group, call the Personalist Center manager at 503-222-5694 ext. 25.