Items We CAN Accept
Rainbow House happily accepts the following items:
- New cosmetics and toiletries
- Canned or boxed food with current used by dates
- Books, records, and DVDs
- Games, toys (except stuffed animals) and sports equipment
- Housewares: dishes, glassware, kitchen utensils, lamps and small appliances
- New or gently used wooden/metal furniture items (dressers, tables, etc.)
- Hand tools and small power tools
- Domestics: new linens, curtains, blankets, etc.
- Cell Phones (restored to factory settings, charger included)
To help you determine your donation’s fair market value Rainbow House is happy to provide a “Value Guide” that offers average prices in thrift stores for items in good condition.
Unfortunately, we DO NOT offer home pick-up of donations at this time. If you are interested in donating a larger item, please call shelter at (715) 735-6656 to arrange drop off at our storage unit. A volunteer can meet you there.
Items We CANNOT Accept
It’s hard to say “no thank you” to a donation when those donations help to support Rainbow House programs. However, we do need to refuse some items for being non-recyclable or containing hazardous materials. Other times, the item must be refused because it costs more to transport, repair or dispose of items. Our staff are trained to know what we can and cannot accept and will help guide you to other possibilities for donations we cannot use. Based on what we already have available through other community resources, and a lack of storage, we are currently not accepting the following items:
- No clothing (new or used – we just don’t have enough storage space!)
- No stuffed animals
- No used Bedding
- No food that has been opened or is past its expiration date
- No CRT TVs
- No CRT Computer Monitors
- No Cribs
- No Car Seats
- No sofas or chairs
- No household chemical products such as pesticides, paint, paint thinner, drain cleaner, oven cleaner, aerosols and other environmentally unfriendly waste products.
- No automotive hazardous waste such as tires, lead acid batteries, additives, gasoline, oils, antifreeze, etc.
- No large appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves/ovens, washers/dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, furnaces, microwaves, trash compactors, water heaters console stereos, freon-based appliances, etc.
- No used or opened personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, nail polish remover, shaving cream, hairsprays, shavers, curling irons
- No used or opened fragrance items or cosmetics
- No mattresses/box springs, including waterbed mattresses and waterbed frames
- No carpet or carpet padding
- No plumbing fixtures or building materials
- No traditional recyclables such as glass, newsprint, office paper, cardboard, plastics, magazines, junk mail, etc.
- No weapons such as guns, bows and arrows, ammunition, hunting knives, etc.
