Helpful Hints When Donating to SVDP

St. Vincent de Paul Ozaukee donation center. Helpful hints and tips for donating.We greatly appreciate your generous donations! To help us process donations efficiently and ensure a smooth experience, please consider these helpful hints:

  1. Use Disposable Containers
    Please place your donations, especially clothing items, in bags or boxes/totes that you don’t need returned. This will help our crew quickly unload donations from your vehicle and get them into our processing area without interruption.
  2. Sort Items by Type
    If possible, sort donations by category—like clothes, books, housewares, or toys. This helps our team organize everything faster.
  3. Check for Cleanliness
    Make sure your donated items are clean and in good condition. We cannot accept items that are moldy, wet, or soiled.
  4. Bag Small Parts
    If you’re donating toys or items that have multiple pieces, please place all the pieces together in a sealed bag or box. This helps prevent parts from getting lost.
  5. Avoid Oversized Items
    For large furniture donations, please call ahead to confirm that we have space and are accepting such items. This helps us manage our storage space effectively.
  6. Mind the Weight of Bags/Boxes
    To ensure safety for our crew, please avoid overstuffing bags and boxes. Try to limit each bag or box to 50 lbs. to make handling safer and easier for our staff.
  7. Limit Bulk Donations During Busy Times
    During high-traffic times, like Mondays or after local parish bundle events or city-wide rummage sales, consider waiting a few days to donate large quantities. This will make the process smoother for everyone. Please also call ahead before bringing in large donations to ensure we have the crew available to assist; otherwise, you may risk your donation being refused for safety reasons.
  8. Label Fragile Items
    If your donation includes fragile items (like glassware or dishes), please label the box as "Fragile" so our crew can handle it with extra care.
  9. Know Our Hours
    Please donate during our official receiving hours to ensure someone is available to help unload and organize your items. Dropping off donations when the area is unattended may expose items to damage or loss.
  10. Do Not Leave Items Outside
    Please do not leave items outside when we’re closed. Items left unattended can be damaged by weather or taken without our knowledge.
  11. Restricted Items
    Be mindful of the items we are unable to accept, such as mattresses, certain electronics, or hazardous materials. You can find the full list on our donation guidelines page.