We want to begin by expressing our deep gratitude for your continued support of our organization. Your generosity enables us to serve our community in meaningful ways, and we are continually inspired by your commitment to helping your neighbors create stability.

Today, we want to share an update about our clothing center and its impact, while also asking for your partnership in ensuring we can continue to serve our community as effectively as possible. 

How You Can Help

Please Review Our Donation Guidelines

Over 600 households use the WayForward Resources Clothing Center each month. We are committed to continuing our free clothing center for as long as we can maintain the capacity to do so. To help us succeed, we’re asking the community to carefully review our donation guidelines before bringing items to us.

What We Gladly Accept:

• Clothing and shoes*
• NEW underwear
• Blankets*
• Towels*
• Sheets*
• NEW pillows

*clean and in good condition (no rips or stains)

What We Cannot Accept:

• Electronics and appliances
• Kitchen items (dishes, glassware, silverware, pots, and pans, etc.)
• Mattresses
• Used pillows
• Mattress pads
• Pre-worn underwear
• Lamps
• Furniture and decorative household items
• Toys
• Bicycles
• Baby products (child car seats, highchairs, cribs, bassinets, etc.)
• Medical equipment

We understand that many of these items are valuable and could benefit someone who needs them. If you have items from our “cannot accept” list, we encourage you to contact other local organizations that may have the space and mission to accommodate them.

Why This Matters

Understanding WayForward’s Space and Capacity

Here’s what many people may not realize: our facility operates with very limited space, and every square foot matters. Our primary mission centers on providing food to those experiencing food insecurity, and our capacity to fulfill that mission depends on how efficiently we can use our available space.

When our clothing center begins to overflow with items we cannot distribute, it directly impacts our ability to store and distribute food. This creates a challenging situation where generous donations can inadvertently reduce our capacity to serve our core mission.

Additionally, when we receive items outside our acceptance guidelines, our small staff must coordinate transportation to partner agencies that can accept these items. While we’re grateful to work with partner organizations, this process requires time, labor, and resources that could otherwise be directed toward serving community members experiencing food insecurity.

Moving Forward Together

Your partnership in following these guidelines makes an enormous difference. When you bring items from our “accepted list,” you’re not only helping someone receive quality clothing and linens, you’re also helping us maintain the space we need to continue our food distribution mission.

We recognize that it requires extra effort on your part to sort donations and ensure they align with our needs. That thoughtfulness and care is a gift in itself, and we are truly grateful.

Thank you for your understanding, continued generosity, and commitment to our community. Together, we can ensure that our clothing center and food programs continue to have the greatest possible impact in creating food security and housing stability for our neighbors.

Click here to see donation drop-off times and how to donate new household items for our Connections program from our Amazon wishlist.