Question: Where can I donate things where they don’t sell the items, they just give them away to needy people? I mean things like nice clothes and household goods.
Answer: One convenient option is the Community Clearinghouse, a program of the nonprofit Helping Hands Hawaii. The CCH is a donation warehouse that welcomes gently used items from donors like you and gives them to individuals and families in need.
The warehouse is located at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway in Honolulu. It is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and donors may stop by any time. In addition, “during the week of Dec. 5-9, we will be open until 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, we’re open from 8 a.m. to noon. These extended hours are actually to accommodate donations to our Adopt A Family program, which is our holiday program, but we can accept general CCH donations at that time as well. Donors should just be clear that they are donating to the Clearinghouse,” said Dorian Nakamichi, communications and development specialist.
CCH also provides limited pickup service for donations that include at least one large piece of household furniture, said Maria Vuong, warehouse office supervisor. Pickups are by appointment. The driver will call you the morning of the pickup to confirm a two-hour window for his arrival.
“Please note that the driver has discretion upon arrival to refuse a donation” if the furniture is damaged, Vuong said. “Also, donations must be kept on the ground level or have access to an elevator. For his safety, we do not permit our driver to accept donations if the items must be moved down stairways.”
To make an appointment for a donation pick up, email cch@helpinghandshawaii.org or call the Community Clearinghouse at 440-3800. You can also find out more about the CCH and other Helping Hands Hawaii programs at helpinghandshawaii.org.
Among the most-needed donations are home furnishings (beds, dressers and appliances), kitchen items and clothing, said Vuong.
Safety and liability issues or low demand from clients prevent CCH from accepting certain items, including office furniture, musical instruments, car seats and strollers, medical equipment and any damaged or torn items, Vuong said. Please don’t try to donate any of those.
The nonprofit lacks the staff or expertise to repair broken items and ends up having to dispose of them, which diverts resources from its primary mission.
Nakamichi explained how the nonprofit’s clients will benefit from your donations:
“These households (low-income or homeless) can be referred to us by any number of partnering nonprofit agencies and service providers. … (The income-eligible) clients are able to make an appointment to come in once a month. During their appointment, clients have access to things like clothes, furniture, dishes, small household appliances, beds and much more.”
Thanks to a continuous stream of donations, the inventory is ever-changing. Whatever clients choose during their monthly visit is free of charge. “They are just required to load and transport their items by themselves as we do not have a large staff to assist them.”
There also is a walk-in option for folks not registered with a social service agency. “These may be homeless individuals, domestic violence victims who have left their homes with nothing, those who have recently been released from prison. They are able to access the CCH once a year without being referred. During this initial contact with them, we provide information on other agencies and providers in the area in which the client says he or she will reside. It is our hope that we can connect the client or that he or she will connect with a provider in the future to access needed services. Once they’re receiving services from an agency, they can then be referred through the regular procedure and come in monthly.”
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
