Donate
In-kind Donations
With the help of caring community members, YouthCare keeps young people on the streets safe and healthy by filling basic needs such as underwear, socks, gloves, blankets, and hygiene supplies.
These needs are year-round. Please consider hosting a community drive with your friends, family and co-workers to collect items. It’s easy, and the rewards are endless. Imagine being able to make sure that a 15-year-old living on the street has the coat and gloves they need to stay warm. Or a 19-year-old has a toothbrush and toothpaste so they can keep their teeth healthy.
For more information about donating items, contact Mary Crandell at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). To make a cash donation, click here.
TAKING CARE OF THE GIRLS
Being a teenage girl has its challenges, no matter what your living situation. Help the girls we serve navigate through this time with some basics.
Bras:
Please donate new bras for our girls. All sizes, all shapes. Bras are often overlooked in community drives, but easily offer themselves as fun donations. Host a party for a group of your girlfriends, and have each one bring a bra or two. The more we have, the better our chances of finding a good fit for each of our girls.
Tampons & Pads:
Every month, without fail. You know what we’re talking about. Now imagine not knowing where you’re going to sleep on three of those nights. Not only do we need feminine hygiene products for the residents in our Transitional Living Programs, we also need them for our Outreach Team to hand out.
Underwear:
Every morning you open your drawer and put on clean underwear. Tomorrow morning, make a pledge to pick up a package of underwear to donate. For the girls, bikini-style is best, all sizes, all colors.
Toiletries:
Shampoo, conditioner. Straighteners, curlers. Soap for faces, soap for bodies. Razors for faces, razors for legs. Full size, travel size. We need them all. See the list below for helpful specifics.
ORION EMERGENCY SHELTER
YouthCare’s new Orion Emergency Shelter has opened and needs supplies: towels, sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. The Orion Shelter makes it possible for 15 young people to have a safe place to spend the night. Be a part of this solution by donating a place for them to put their heads.
WALK A DAY IN THEIR SHOES
We’d like to think that we’re meeting the needs of young people from head to toe, but shoes are expensive and new shoe donations are rare. Do you have any new shoes in your closet that are looking for some feet? Help us put shoes on the youth we support by donating new footwear or gift cards to stores (e.g., Payless).
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THINGS TO GIVE
New items are best, but gently-used clothing items are accepted. Contact YouthCare if you have any questions about what items are needed.
High Priority Items
Bus Tickets
Subway, Starbucks, Taco Del Mar Gift Cards, etc.
Phone Cards (including International Phone Cards)
Grocery Store Gift Cards
Feminine Hygiene Supplies
Bras—All Sizes and Colors (New, please!)
Socks
Underwear (men’s and women’s)
Snacks (granola bars, small bags of pretzels,
Toiletries
Deodorant (men’s and women’s)
Shampoo & Conditioner (both full size and travel size)
Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Dental Floss (not mouthwash, please)
African-American Hair Supplies
Feminine Hygiene Supplies
Shower Gels
Razors & Shaving Cream
Lotion
Outreach
Flashlights
Hand Warmers
Gloves
Hats
Lip Balm
Bed & Bath
NEW ITEMS ONLY, PLEASE
Towels and Washcloths
Brushes and Combs
Standard Pillows / Standard Pillow Cases
Twin-sized blankets and comforters
Electronics
Alarm clocks with or without CD players
Bedside table lamps
USB drives
School Supplies
GED books in English & Spanish
USB drives
Notebooks
Pens / Pencils / Highlighters
Backpacks
Folders / Binders
…and there’s More!
Good Quality Kitchenware (cookware, flatware, etc)
Games (both board & electronic)
Art Supplies
Sports items: softballs, Frisbees, tennis rackets & balls, footballs, soccer balls
Flip Flops & Sandals
Furniture Donations
Due to storage and staff limitations, YouthCare can rarely accept large furniture donations and cannot pick up donated items. If you have furniture donations, please contact Sharehouse (http://www.thesharehouse.org) Young people at YouthCare use Sharehouse to get furniture for apartments when they begin living independently.
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FILL THE FOOD PANTRIES
The Orion Center and YouthCare’s Transitional Living Programs have food banks that give the youth who use our facilities the opportunity to cook for themselves, and in some cases, take food with them when they leave.
DRIED SOUP in single serving cups: good because only hot water must be added. Examples: hearty soup, dry soup, instant lunch cup.
CANNED SOUP: good because it is a hearty meal that can be heated and nothing added. Cans with pop tabs are best. Examples: ready to serve soups, soup at hand.
CANNED MEATS AND FISH: good because they provide youth with protein. They can be packaged in regular cans or in plastic pouches. Examples: basic chicken, salmon, and tuna are best, and Spam or canned shrimp are good, too.
FRUIT CUPS AND CANNED FRUIT: good because they do not need to be heated and are healthy. Plastic or tin cans with pop tabs are best. Examples: fruit cocktail, fruit bowls, applesauce cups.
MICROWAVE MEAL CUPS: very good because nothing must be added. Examples: microwaveable pastas, microwaveable stews and meals, microwaveable beans, microwaveable chili.
OTHER CANNED FOODS: foods that can be eaten after heating only are best. Here it is best to have a variety of foods. Examples: corned beef or roast beef hash, baked beans, pastas, organic pastas.
SMALL JARS OF PEANUT BUTTER: very good because it is a vegetarian source of protein on the streets. Plastic jars are better than glass.
SMALL BAGS OF JERKY: good because it is a protein source and easy to carry around. Examples: Beef or other types of jerky are fine, any brand.
SMALL BAGS OF CHIPS/PRETZELS: good for a quick snack.
SWEET FRUIT SNACKS: good for a quick sweet snack, and easy to carry. Examples: fruit leather, fruit roll-ups, fruit snacks.
GRANOLA, PROTEIN OR BREAKFAST BARS: good because they are a quick snack that provides energy and nutrition.
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YOUTHTECH
YouthTech is an employment training program serving Seattle/King County homeless youth. Pending completion of the program, participants receive a free computer. Computer incentives will bridge the digital divide for program participants and allow them to access employment and education opportunities. You can learn more at interconnection.org.
We accept:
• Desktop Computers: Pentium-IV and above computers
• Monitors: Working monitors that were made during or after the year 2003 (Look for a manufacture date on the back of the monitor)
• Laptops: Working Pentium P-III and above laptops
