Hundreds of people come through the doors of FIRST UNITED each day seeking comfort, care and a place to belong. When you give goods to our Community Help Desk Program, you increase free access to basic personal hygiene and emergency care items and provide vital support to our neighbours in need. During the winter months, cold weather items can literally save lives.
Spring 2024 Update
The Spiritual Care team is in need of arts and craft supplies for expressive arts activities at the shelter.
- Crayons
- Pencil Crayons
- Markers
Donors can contact Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, via phone (604-335-9383) or email ([email protected]) to set up a drop off time.
Winter 2024 Update
We distribute clothing and essential items through our Community Help Desk and shelter, provide items to other service providers and warming centres, and directly distribute items to folks in the Downtown Eastside. While we are grateful for people’s excitement to help, please note that we can only accept the items listed below. Donating items outside of this list creates additional work for our staff, taking our time away from where it is needed the most. This list is updated regularly to reflect current needs.
We’re in need of the following items in new and original packaging, or gently-used for clothing items:
- Rain ponchos and rain coats
- Umbrellas
- Blankets
- Sleeping bags
- Gloves
- Scarves
- Toques
- Winter jackets
- Sweatshirts
- Sweatpants**
- Men’s and women’s underwear**
- Socks (must be new)
- Tampons
- Razors and shaving cream**
- Shampoo
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Combs/hairbrushes
- Lotion**
- Bar soap**
- Towels
- Twin fitted sheets (no flat sheets or other bedding)
- McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s gift cards in $5 or $10 amounts
Items marked with ** are in high demand.
Please ensure that your items are clean before donating. We do not have the resources to launder and clean items before distributing them and unclean items must be disposed of.
Our Spiritual Care team is also in need of:
- Craft supplies, including:
- Watercolor paper
- Canvas boards
- Beads (seed beads to pony beads size-wise)
- Cardstock
- Buttons
- Books
- Family board games
Dropping Off your Gifts In-Kind
You can drop off items directly at our Help Desk at 501 E. Hastings Street on Monday-Friday, from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, and 1:00 – 4:00 pm (closed during lunch from 12:00-1:00). No appointment is required. If you have questions about your donations please contact us at [email protected].
Tax Receipts for Gifts In-Kind
In order to receive a charitable tax receipt for your donated gifts of goods please fill out our Gifts In-Kind Donation Form and submit your original receipt for the value of the items. Your Gifts In-Kind Donation Form and receipt can be provided when you drop off your items, or you can scan and email to [email protected]. Unfortunately, we cannot issue charitable tax receipts for items without a receipt.
If you have any questions about donating gifts in-kind please contact our Resource Development department at 604.336.3047 or [email protected].
Other organizations accepting gifts of goods
While we can only accept the above listed items, there are a number of other important organizations accepting in-kind gifts that we encourage you to direct other items to: