DONATION CENTER
our thrift store

DONATIONS ACCEPTED

Monday-Saturday 10am – 6pm

AT OUR DONATION CENTER LOCATED AT

8162 FLANNERY COURT, MANASSAS VA 20109

WE DO NOT OFFER FREE IN-HOME PICKUP SERVICES. 

We partner with local companies below for discounted paid delivery services to House of Mercy.

PLEASE place only clothes and shoes in the blue bins after hours outside the donation center.  Heavier items placed in bins can injure our volunteers and staff when the bins are opened for emptying. DO NOT place anything outside these bins, or outside our doors, when we are closed.
All items left outside will have to be thrown away and this additional trash takes funds away from our mission.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

ReSupply offers low-cost services for House of Mercy customers to pickup and deliver your donations to House of Mercy. To inquire about rates, click on the red “Donation Pickup” button on the bottom right of this page.

The Junkluggers of Gainesville offers their services at a discount for House of Mercy customers. Call Megan Hicks at 703-244-5084 to set up your pick-up and delivery.

USE CODE HOM to get $25 OFF a 1/4 truck or more. Limit 1 per job. Redeem code when booking.

DONATION GUIDELINES

1. Items must be washed (clothes, linens, etc.)

2. Items must be in good condition (no paint chips, breaks, tears, broken pieces, broken zippers, etc.)

3. Items must not contain corporate logos with the exception of branded sportswear (Nike, Under Armour, etc.).  This includes clothes, water bottles, glassware, tote bags, luggage, etc.

4. Items with university logos are accepted as long as no dates, with the exception of organization founding dates, are included.

4. Shoes and handbags must be in good condition with no holes, worn soles, cracked leather, etc.

5. Housewares must be in good condition.  Please no stained, scratched, cloudy or burnt cookware, glassware or plasticware.

6. Please do not overload bags or make them too heavy.  If you have trouble lifting them, so will we.

7. Please call ahead if you have large amounts of furniture.

EXCEPTIONS:

1. Rags (clothing that is stained, ripped, missing buttons, zippers, etc. or clothing with a date, or local logo may be bagged in a WHITE garbage bag and when dropped off, please tell us that it is for “rags”.

2. Technology (We will take TVs (flat screen, LCD, NO tube TVs), DVD players, small appliances such as alarm clocks, and other electronics. We will not resell computers, tablets, mobile phones or laptops. We do not claim responsibility for any personal data left on donated electronic devices. We cannot take items that are out of date.)

 

 

 

 

What we will accept as donations

We do take

Clothes, toys, jewelry, kitchen goods, collectibles, kitchen small appliances (in great to excellent condition), linens, handbags, shoes (no holes, tears, etc.), luggage (in like new condition), furniture (NO chips, animal hair, scratches etc.), home decor, wall art, mirrors, picture frames, decorative pillows (NO bed pillows), TVs (flat screen, LCD, NO tube TVs), DVD players (in good working order), books (children’s and religious ONLY), DVDs, CDs, board games (in good condition), new (in the original packaging) underwear and socks, video games

We do not take

Electronics (includes computers, monitors, printers, tablets, cell phones, boom boxes, cable receivers, audio components and scanners), items requiring installation or repair (ie., ceiling fans, broken household appliances, etc.), used underwear, used socks, broken or worn furniture, bed frames, bed pillows, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, laser discs,  mattresses, used animal accessories, upholstered furniture that has been exposed to pets, used cribs, used car seats, used booster seats, appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc.), opened pet food, vacuum cleaners, rug cleaners

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you pick up donations?

Unfortunately, we do not have the staff to pick up items.

HOW DO WE PACK ITEMS TO BE DONATED?

Try not to mix items.  Pack clothes, linens and housewares separately.

Pack clothes and shoes in garbage bags.  DO NOT overload them. Keep them at a reasonable weight so our staff and volunteers can lift them easily.  Avoid packing clothing and shoes in boxes.  Boxes take up a lot of space.

Linens (bedsheets, comforters, curtains, shower curtains and blankets, etc.) can also be packed in bags.

Housewares are best packed in boxes especially glassware.

PLEASE pack items in boxes you don’t need returned.  This makes it easier on our sorters as they are brought into the donation center.

WHERE DO I BRING MY DONATIONS?

The donation center is located in the same row of buildings as our thrift store.  Look for the large white banner above the door indicating the donation center customer entrance.

PLEASE place your donation on our counter top to the right of the welcome desk.  Try to avoid placing items on the floor as this presents a hazard to guests and volunteers.  We will sort large donation as they come in to keep that counter clear.

WHY DON'T YOU TAKE USED MATTRESSES?

It is illegal to sell used mattresses that have not been cleaned and sanitized.  While we have the capacity to sanitize small throw pillows, we don’t have the expertise or resources to clean and santize mattresses.

WHY ARE YOU SO PARTICULAR ABOUT WHAT ITEMS YOU TAKE?

Every item donated is accepted with the goal of selling it in our thrift store or to our partner vendors to fund our food pantry.  Items that are unsellable end up in the trash and too frequent trash pickups takes away money for the food pantry.  If you wouldn’t buy it, help us help others by throwing it away in your home trash pickup.

DURING WHAT TIMES DO YOU TAKE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS?

We take holiday decorations during the following date time frames:

Easter * January 1 – May 31

Halloween & Thanksgiving * September 1 – January 1

Christmas * November 1 – February 1 and during the months of June and July

All other holidays (Valentines, St. Patrick’s, 4th of July, etc.) will be accepted at any time.

WHAT'S YOUR INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY?

The House of Mercy will follow the Prince William County Government or Federal Government decisions in the case of inclement weather, NOT the public school system. If either the Prince William County government or Federal government are closed due to weather, activities of the House of Mercy will be cancelled, and volunteers will not need to report for work.

However, in the event that Prince William County or Federal Government have a delayed opening, the House of Mercy will still open at its regular time and volunteers are asked to report for their regular shifts.

Volunteers, clients and customers are asked to ultimately use their own good judgment in conditions of inclement weather and are asked to always err on the side of safety.

DO YOU TAKE VHS AND CASSETTE TAPES?

This medium is not common anymore and it is not as in demand as CDs and DVDs are to our thrift store customers.