Some families and individuals in our community don’t have basic hygiene necessities because they aren’t covered by food stamps or available in pantries.  Sisters seeks to fill this need by collecting and distributing these items. 

Here’s what we’re looking for, in order of customer demand (new items please):

#1: Socks

razors

diapers, diapers, diapers!

shaving cream

deodorant

lip balm

sunscreen

insect repellent

washcloths

hair brushes

antiseptic cream like Neosporin

hand sanitizer (especially travel-sized)

powdered laundry soap

toothpaste, regular and travel sized

regular sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap

travel sized lotion and conditioner

feminine hygiene products

These items are in great demand as well:

• bus tickets and passes to look for work and make their appointments- honored citizens or all-zone passes/ tickets are most desirable
• phone cards to stay in touch with family and employers

We could also use these items for our Children’s area:

• nice-looking, sturdy, kid sized table and chairs
• racially diverse baby dolls and doll clothes
• large, sturdy toys without lots of pieces
• toy cars and trucks
• dress up clothes
• coloring books and crayons
• sippy cups
• chalk and chalkboard
• wall-mounted or ceiling-hangable lamp
  
• school supplies (notebooks, pens and pencils)

At this time we cannot use:

fashion dolls (barbies, etc); puzzles; toy guns or other war toys; any toy with of small pieces; balls, skates or other outdoor toys; or 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, 2020 SE Powell Blvd., www.insightstpp.org.  For new toys of these types appropriate for older children, try your local Boys and Girls Club.

Supply Drive Questions

When should we do a hygiene supply drive? Although we make a push to collect hygiene supplies during certain times of the year such as the holidays, our customers need supplies all throughout the year and we will gratefully accept your donations ANY time!

Can you supply a flyer or information about Sisters for our drive? Yes, we would be glad to send you a flyer and information to hand out during your drive, either via mail or from our office at 618 NW Davis.

Where do we deliver collected 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 8 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 at Sisters can ‘shop’ for items at a small cost or in exchange for barter work, in keeping with our philosophies of not doing for others what they can do for themselves. Diapers, adult diapers, and feminine hygiene supplies are always offered free. There is no intake procedure.


Can you take partially-used hygiene products? Sorry, we cannot hand out any soiled, already-opened or partially-used products.

Do you take clothes, books, etc.? No thank-you, we cannot.  An exception to this is that we accept new school supplies and books for children.  This is because we are short on storage space and there are other great donation sites for these items.  We recommend bringing them to the following places:

• Books: Daywatch- 522 SW 13th.
• 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

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 Café, 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 at the Café and crossroads.

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

To learn more about planning a hygiene/toy/etc. drive at your business, church, school, or other group, call Lauren at 503-222-5694 ext. 25 or .

Thank you for your generosity and concern for the families and individuals in need in Portland!