🔄 The journey of donatable items: how your used goods help local communities
Sonoma & Marin Counties · furniture · appliances · community support · landfill diversion
When you set aside a gently used sofa, working refrigerator, or box of books for donation, you're starting a journey that strengthens Sonoma and Marin communities.
Local charities, thrift stores, and nonprofits transform your goods into job training, affordable housing, and direct assistance for families in need.
For items that aren't donatable, professional hot tub removal
ensures proper recycling. Save our business map for donation center locations, and use the Netlify app to prepare items for pickup.
Furniture
Clean, structurally sound sofas, tables, and dressers go to local thrift stores like Salvation Army (Santa Rosa) or Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Petaluma). Unsellable items are often repaired by trainees.
No rips/stains
Appliances
Working refrigerators, stoves, washers are tested, cleaned, and sold at low cost. Non‑working units are recycled for metal, with refrigerants recovered by certified techs.
Working order
Clothing & household
Sorted by quality: premium items go to retail stores, others are sold by the pound or exported. Damaged textiles become industrial wiping cloths.
Clean & dry
Building materials
Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Petaluma) accepts cabinets, doors, windows, lighting. They're sold to homeowners and contractors, funding affordable housing.
Reusable only
Sonoma & Marin donation partners
- Salvation Army (Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Novato): Accepts furniture, appliances, clothing. Proceeds fund adult rehabilitation centers.
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Petaluma): 460 Stony Point Rd — furniture, building materials, appliances. Funds home builds in Sonoma County.
- St. Vincent de Paul (Santa Rosa): 4250 Sonoma Hwy — furniture, household goods. Direct assistance to local families.
- Goodwill Industries (multiple locations): Job training and placement. Accepts almost all household goods.
- Marin Fosterlink (Novato): Accepts furniture for families transitioning out of homelessness.
What condition is needed?
Charities rely on resaleable goods. General guidelines:
- Furniture: No rips, stains, odors. All drawers and doors functional. Wood should be free of rot.
- Appliances: Clean, working, with all parts. Refrigerators must have doors removed (safety).
- Electronics: Flat‑screen TVs, computers less than 7 years old. No CRTs.
- Mattresses: Must be stain‑free, with no tears. Many charities require them to be less than 10 years old.
2,500+ tons diverted annually
$1.8M raised for local programs
Community & environmental benefits
- Community support: Thrift store revenue funds shelters, job training, food banks, and affordable housing.
- Affordable goods: Low‑income families access furniture and appliances at fraction of retail cost.
- Landfill diversion: Donations keep thousands of tons out of Central Landfill and Redwood Landfill each year.
- Carbon reduction: Reusing one sofa saves ~50 lbs of steel, 20 lbs of foam, and 15 lbs of wood from being manufactured.
Prepare your donation
Use our business map to find the nearest donation center hours and accepted items. The Netlify app includes a room‑by‑room checklist to identify what's donatable.