Donations
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Give support and help someone in need.
The Jonnycake Center of Westerly gratefully accepts donations of money, food, clothing, furniture and household items. Receipts for donated items are available upon request.
All donations must be made following the process below. Items left on our property when we are not open, or dropped without an appointment, are considered “dumping” and constitute a health hazard for our staff, and these items are often ruined from improper exposure to the elements. Dumped items cost our non-profit organization valuable time and resources to dispose of, so please make all donations by following our procedures.
There are 3 easy ways to donate your goods to Jonnycake, helping us to fund raise for our Social Services & Food Pantry:
- Drive ‘N Drop Open Donations
- Clothing, shoes, linens, and small household goods are accepted without an appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 10am and 2pm.
- Large items or furniture must be donated by appointment only (see below for more).
- Please remove hangers from clothing.
- Please pre-sort and bag or box your donations. Clothes/linens/shoes should be separated from housewares. When you arrive at the Jonnycake rear parking lot, you’ll see big yellow carts labeled for housewares and for clothes/linens/shoes.
- Due to space constraints, our staff may occasionally not be able to accept certain items that would normally be considered sellable. We regret any inconvenience caused.
- Do NOT dump your items before or after the posted donation hours, or on Sundays. Doing so is a punishable offense due to the hazard it presents our staff.
- Appointments for No-Contact Drop-Offs and Furniture Drop-Offs
- If you prefer to make an appointment to donate your item(s), please email [email protected].
- Clothes, shoes, linens, and small household goods can be donated via appointment.
- Donations of furniture or large household goods can only be accepted via appointment.
- Appointments are available Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 9am and 3pm.
- On Thursdays, appointments are available from 9am to 4:30pm.
- Please email [email protected] to request a time.
- When you arrive, ring the doorbell and wait for staff to inspect your furniture item(s) before you begin to unload.
- Furniture Pick-Ups from the Jonnycake Truck
- Limited appointments are available.
- Please send a furniture description and pictures (if possible) to [email protected] to request a pick-up time.
- Jonnycake staff cannot enter your home or residence. Please make your donated furniture available outside, ideally protected from the elements.
- Only sellable-condition furniture (without rips, stains, claw marks, etc.) can be picked up via the Jonnycake truck. Please see above for how to donate household goods.
- Please never leave (“dump”) donations on our entryways after-hours, before-hours, or on Sundays. Doing so is a punishable offense due to the hazard it presents our staff and volunteers.
- All proceeds from Thrift sales directly support our Food Pantry and Social Services basic needs efforts.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
General Requirements
- Items must be in clean, salable condition. We do not have the staff to clean or repair broken or dirty merchandise. We reserve the right to refuse items that we cannot sell.
- Sometimes we may have to refuse items because we do not have space available to accept your donation. Additionally, we may close our donation doors earlier than the hours posted. We will always refer you to nearby agencies that would be happy to receive your donation.
- We are unable to accept items that we do not think we can sell. Sometimes we have to decline items that are out of season or unlikely to find a buyer. While we appreciate every donation, we cannot afford to accept items that we will have to throw away. It would in the end, cost us money. We appreciate your understanding.
- We cannot give pre-approval over the phone for donated items. Final decisions will be made by Jonnycake representatives upon physical inspection. This includes items we pick up and items brought to our facility.
We cannot accept the following items:
- Mattresses and Box Springs
- TVs/ Hard Drives
- VHS tapes
- Large Appliances
- Pianos
- Sofa Beds/ Bunk Beds/ Cribs
- Car Seats/ High Chairs/ Pack N’Plays
- Halogen Lamps
- Electric Blankets
- Bed Pillows
- Construction/Demolition materials
- Particle Board/Press Board furniture
- Entertainment Centers
- Large Exercise Equipment – Treadmills, Stationary Bikes, etc
If you are looking to get rid of a mattress, please visit bye bye mattress and learn how you can recycle your mattress for free.
Furniture Donations
Furniture Donations
Furniture donations are sought by the Jonnycake Center of Westerly. If you’d like to donate furniture, please email us at [email protected] and include a brief description of the item(s). If you are able to attach a photograph with your email, it will help expedite the process. Once you have an appointment time and date confirmed, you can drop off furniture at our facility at 23 Industrial Drive in Westerly, RI. Learn more about our temporary donation procedures.
The Jonnycake delivery truck is available on a very limited basis to pick up furniture, but Jonnycake staff are unable to enter private residences at this time. Furniture for the Jonnycake truck must be made available for pickup outside your home. For pickup availability, please email [email protected] and use the subject line “Furniture pickup.” All furniture must be donated by appointment only – dumping furniture on Jonnycake property is never allowed. Due to local generosity and interest, most pickups are scheduled 1-2 weeks in advance. We inspect all furniture donations to confirm that items are in sellable condition. We cannot accept furniture that is broken, ripped, stained, torn, mildewed, or malodorous because we have no way to repair it.
We cannot accept Mattresses and Box Springs, Entertainment Centers, Pianos, Sofa Beds, Bunk Beds, Cribs or Large Appliances. If you are looking to get rid of a mattress please visit bye bye mattress for more information on recycling your mattress for free.
MONETARY DONATIONS
Monetary Donations
Financial Contributions may be sent to:
The Jonnycake Center of Westerly
23 Industrial Drive
Westerly, RI 02891
Our tax exempt ID is 05-0367687.
Because the store pays our overhead expenses, we are able to devote more donations to our programs, services, and food purchases. If you wish to specify that your donation be used for any of the following program areas, please note it on the memo section of your check, or in a cover letter to us:
Greatest Need
- Heating Fund
- Housing/Utilities Fund
- Education Fund
- Food Pantry
PLANNED GIVING
For more information on Planned Giving, please click here.
FOOD DONATIONS
Support #NeighborsInNeed with a donation to our Food Pantry!
Non-perishables and pre-boxed or pre-bagged fresh produce are accepted Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 12pm and 3pm in the loading dock behind our Food Pantry (located at 23 Industrial Drive in Westerly). Look for the big blue barrels!
Canned soup, canned vegetables, canned fruit, and cereal are especially sought. We are grateful for any food donations you can provide!
THANKSGIVING DINNER
Thanksgiving Dinner
Current clients can sign up to receive financial assistance for Thanksgiving meals through our Adopt-a-Family program. Assistance will take the form of gift cards to local grocery stores and retailers, allowing clients to make their own unique and personal purchasing decisions. Please register with Jonnycake Social Services. Email [email protected], call (401) 377-8069 and select Option 1, or visit the Social Services office during its operating hours.
Gift cards will be distributed on November 20th, 2022 in the Center’s rear parking lot.
HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR KIDS
Assistance for Children’s Holiday Presents
The Adopt-a-Family Program provides financial assistance for families to purchase holiday gifts for their children. When registration is open in the fall months, current and new clients sign up for the Adopt-a-Family program in get anonymously matched with a Donor “Adopter.” Pre-pandemic, the program offered physical toys and presents that had been donated from the community. Because of public health measures stemming from the pandemic, this program has been temporarily modified to offer financial assistance to local retailers instead of physical gifts. In this way, we can protect the health of the vulnerable in our community, and parents can get to make their own personal and unique choices for their family.
To request to join the waitlist as an Adoptee, contact Jonnycake Social Services at [email protected], (401) 377-8069 option 1, or visit the Social Services office during its operating hours.
Donors are still needed! To register as a Donor, email [email protected], call (401) 377-8069 ext. 106, or visit the Thrift Store during its operating hours.
SPLASH DONATIONS
SPLASH Program
The Summer Program Looking to Alleviate Student Hunger (S.P.L.A.S.H.) The SPLASH Program runs during the summer months and over school vacations in order to ensure that students who receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school do not miss those meals when they are home. Eligible families living in Westerly, Hopkinton, Charlestown or Richmond are encouraged to sign up through the Jonnycake Center Social Services Department. Groceries are available for pick-up the week prior to vacations, or weekly during the summer. Please contact the Social Services Department at 401.377.8069 ext 101.
Donations of the following items would be very appreciated:
Peanut butter, tuna, juice boxes, chicken soup, canned fruit, cereal, peanut butter crackers, snack bars, mac and cheese, juice boxes, hot dogs, jello, milk and yogurt
TOP 5 PANTRY NEEDS
Top 5 Pantry Needs
The Pantry can always use food donations to help us meet the needs of local families. Below is a list of our most needed items. Thank you so much for your generosity!!
- Bread
- Cereal
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Soups (low-salt whenever possible)
- Disposable Diapers (all sizes) & Wipes
Bonus Needs: Coffee, Condiments
USED VEHICLE DONATIONS
Used Vehicle Donations
To donate your used vehicle on behalf of our non-profit organization, please click here to be directed to our donation partner, CARS. We are grateful for your generosity!