Donation Guide

Donation guide
Successful material donations start here

We can’t wait to accept your gently used or new materials.

Use this guide to help you box up items for donating to our shop.

We don’t want you to be frustrated or make unnecessary trips!

Before you donate, please review the following information.

Leave it IN if it's:

  • on our list of acceptable materials (see below)
  • gently used with lots of life left in it
  • brand new
  • in good condition
  • only slightly damaged
  • missing a few pieces or parts

Leave it OUT if it's:

  • toxic, leaking, unlabeled, rusty, or dangerous.
  • dirty, moldy, smelly, smoke-damaged, insect-damaged, in bad condition, or mothballed. 
  • been exposed to the elements for most of its life or stored outside. 
  • more appropriate for a thrift store. 
  • a personal care item or a used medical device.
  • held food, medication or hazardous material.

Temporary holds

We normally accept the following items, but, at the moment, have run out of storage space for more:

  • Binders (3-ring)
  • CD/jewel cases (empty)
  • Ceramic tiles (whole or parts)
  • Corks

 

  • Folders (accordion, file, hanging, pocket)
  • Greeting cards & fronts
  • Slide carousels
  • Tote bags

This list changes over time as our inventory changes. Please check back for updates.

Large items

Due to limited floor space we ask that you inquire about donating the following items:

    • assembled floor looms
    • enlargers and large machines
    • sewing machines in cabinets

About this list

Click the first letter of your item below or use your browser’s search function (Ctrl+F or Command+F) to look for the materials we accept.

Please note that this list is not 100% comprehensive. Not every arts and crafts supply that we could possibly accept is listed here.

Hot tip: If you don’t see your item, but it is definitely an art or craft supply, we probably take it. Not an art or craft supply? We probably don’t take it.

Still not sure? Have an unusual item? Check this list of other places that might accept your item or call us at 412-473-0100 or email donations@pccr.org to double check.

Items we accept

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  • Acrylic paint
  • Acrylic sheets (aka Plexiglass)
  • Adding machines (working or not)
  • Atlases
  • Architecture and design samples (please refer to this list of acceptable samples)
  • Art supplies (traditional)
  • Artwork
  • Audio cassettes
  • Award plaques
  • Award ribbons
  • Bags (plastic – must be clean – Ziploc-style, grocery, newspaper)
  • Balls – small sports balls like golf, tennis, baseball, and softball only
  • Barrels
  • Baskets (non-decorated)
  • Batting/fiber-fil
  • Beads
  • Binders (3-ring style) (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • Blueprints
  • Board game pieces (contemporary – non-electronic)
  • Board games (vintage) 
  • Bookends
  • Book-making supplies and tools
  • Books (art/craft/DIY-related and vintage only)
  • Bottles (clean and never held food)
  • Bottle caps (metal only)
  • Bows (gift)
  • Boxes (decorative and storage) (no product packaging)
  • Bracelets
  • Bread clips
  • Brooches
  • Brushes (painting)
  • Bubble wrap
  • Buckets
  • Bulletin boards
  • Business swag/branded products – outdated (bags, signs, letters, stickers, labels, stamps, promotional items)

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  • Candles
  • Candle making supplies
  • Canvas boards
  • Canvas (pre-stretched and yardage)
  • Calendars (used/unused)
  • Cameras and related accessories
  • Cardboard boxes (unused, small – medium shipping boxes only)
  • Cardboard tubes (no TP tubes)
  • Cassette tapes
  • CD cases (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • CDs
  • Chalk
  • Chalkboards
  • Chemicals – art-related only (recently made, no banned substances) (containers must be rust-free, with labels, no leaks, in good condition)
  • Cigar boxes
  • Clay
  • Clips
  • Clocks and clock parts
  • Collage supplies
  • Comic books
  • Computer boards and circuit board pieces (no CPUs, monitors, or routers)
  • Cones/spools (from thread or manufacturing)
  • Cords and cables
  • Corks (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • Cork boards
  • Cork tiles
  • Craft kits
  • Craft supplies (traditional)
  • Crayons 
  • Cutting mats
  • Curiosities (vintage)

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  • Darkroom supplies (please inquire about enlargers)
  • Decorative boxes/containers
  • Design samples and architecture (please refer to this list of acceptable samples)
  • Desk organizers
  • Digital projectors (working)
  • Display fixtures and stands
  • Doilies
  • Dolls (handmade, vintage)
  • Doll-making supplies
  • Drafting supplies
  • Drafting tables
  • Drawing boards
  • Drawings (original – finished and unfinished)
  • Drawstring pouches (organza favor bags, jewelry holders, etc)
  • Driftwood
  • DVD cases (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • DVDs
  • Dye (liquid and powder for fabric and crafts – no food coloring)

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  • Earrings
  • Easels (painting and display)
  • Electric typewriters (working)
  • Encyclopedias
  • Envelopes 
  • Erasers (pencil, chalkboard, whiteboard)
  • Ephemera (vintage)
  • Eyeglasses (vintage)

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  • Fabric: unused, larger than 1⁄2 yard (no clothing/clothing pieces, curtains/curtain pieces, linens/linen pieces, fabric scraps; please remove pins/needles; no fabric that’s been exposed to mothballs)
  • Fiber art
  • Fiber art kits
  • Film projectors (vintage)
  • Filmstrips
  • Floppy disks
  • Foam core
  • Foam pieces (unused cushions, new/used packing material, crafting)
  • Folders
  • Forks and spoons (metal and/or vintage) (no knives and no other kitchenware)
  • Flat files
  • Frames (glass must be secured in frame)
  • Framing supplies

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  • Handmade items (vintage – doilies, lace, dolls)
  • Hand tools (hammers, screw drivers, wrenches, etc)
  • Hanging files (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • Hankies (vintage)
  • Hardware (bolts, nails, nuts, screws, washers, etc)
  • Hot glue guns
  • Hot glue sticks
  • House paint – latex paints and spray paint only (rust-free, with labels, mostly full, not oil-based)

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  • Instruments (small musical – working or not)
  • Jars (clean and never held food)
  • Jewelry boxes (new or with little to no branding)
  • Jewelry – finished and broken
  • Jewelry making supplies and tools

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  • Keyboard keys
  • Keys
  • Kids art and craft supplies
  • Kilns (small, working)
  • Kits (art and craft)
  • Knitting supplies
  • Lab supplies (clean)
  • Latex paints (rust-free, with labels, mostly full)
  • Leather scraps (no clothing or shoes)
  • LED mini string/fairy lights (working)
  • Letterhead 
  • Light bulbs (new in package only)
  • Looms (please inquire about large floor loom)

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  • Machinery parts (old, small)
  • Magazines (art/craft/DIY-related only and vintage – pre-1970)
  • Magnets
  • Magnifying glass
  • Mannequins
  • Maps
  • Marbles
  • Markers
  • Mat board
  • Mat cutters
  • Mats (pre-cut) 
  • Medals
  • Metal bottle caps
  • Microscopes
  • Mirrors (must be framed if larger than 11” x 14”)
  • Mosaic pieces and supplies
  • Musical instruments (small – working or not)

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  • Necklaces
  • Needlework (finished/incomplete)
  • Needlework supplies 
  • Negatives
  • Office supplies (desk accessories, staplers, tape dispensers, clips, etc)
  • Oil paint (artist quality, no house paint)
  • Organizers (for paper, beads, brushes and other art/craft supplies)
  • Ornaments – small, non-glass, vintage or handmade only
  • Overhead projectors (working)

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  • Packing peanuts (please put in a plastic shopping bag)
  • Packing tape
  • Paint (for art and craft) (see also house paint above)
  • Paint brushes
  • Paintings (original – finished and unfinished)
  • Paper
  • Paper bags with handles (clean)
  • Paper crafting supplies
  • Paper cutters
  • Pencils
  • Pens
  • Photo albums
  • Photographs (artwork and snapshots)
  • Picture frames (glass must be secured in frame)
  • Pillow forms (unused)
  • Pins (for sewing and for wearing)
  • Plant pots (must be clean, no dirt residue, and no thin plastic seedling flats)
  • Plastic bags (unused Ziploc-style and clean shopping-style)
  • Plastic utensils (unused only)
  • Plexiglass (aka acrylic sheets)
  • Poker chips
  • Polymer clay
  • Pop tabs
  • Postcards (used/unused)
  • Posters
  • Potter’s wheels (working)
  • Prints
  • Promotional items – outdated business swag/branded products (bags, signs, letters, stickers, labels, stamps)

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  • Quilling supplies and tools
  • Quilt squares
  • Quilting supplies and tools
  • Radios (small and working)
  • Record players (small and working) 
  • Record albums
  • Reels
  • Ribbon
  • Rocks
  • Rope
  • Rubber bands 
  • Rulers

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  • Safety pins
  • Scarves
  • Scrapbooking materials, supplies, and tools
  • Scrap paper
  • Scissors
  • Screws
  • Sculptures
  • Sculpture tools
  • Seashells
  • Sewing machines (working) (please inquire about machines in cabinets)
  • Sewing supplies and tools
  • Shirt boxes
  • Six pack rings
  • Sketchbooks
  • Slide carousels (currently on Temporary Holds list)
  • Slides
  • Snapshots
  • Soap making supplies
  • Solutions – art-related only (recently made, no banned substances) (containers must be rust-free, with labels, no leaks, in good condition)
  • Spools
  • Spoons and forks (metal and/or vintage) (no knives and no other kitchenware)
  • Spray paint (rust-free, with labels, mostly full)
  • Sports balls, small like golf, tennis, baseball
  • Stained glass and tools/supplies
  • Staplers
  • Stationery
  • Stencils
  • Stickers
  • Stretched canvases (used/unused)
  • Stretcher bars
  • Storage containers for art supplies
  • Studio equipment and tools
  • Suitcases (vintage)
  • Sunglasses (vintage)

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  • Tape
  • Test tubes (clean – glass and plastic)
  • Thread
  • Tissue paper
  • Tools (hammers, screw drivers, wrenches, etc)
  • Tote bags (clean)
  • Toys – tiny and non-electronic (plastic animals, matchbox cars, Legos, etc)
  • Trim
  • Trophies (whole and parts)
  • Trophy plaques
  • Typewriters – electric (working only)
  • Typewriters – manual (working or not)
  • Twist ties

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  • Upholstery fabric bolts
  • Vases
  • VHS: only blank and non-mass market movies (i.e. home movies)
  • VHS cases
  • Vials (clean – glass and plastic, with or without caps)
  • Watches (working or not)
  • Watch parts
  • Watercolors
  • Wax
  • Weaving supplies
  • Whiteboards
  • Wrapping paper
  • Wall paper (books, rolls, samples)
  • Wine corks
  • Wire
  • Wood crafting tools and supplies
  • Wood pieces under 3 feet long (no splinters, mold, dirt, nails)

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  • X-rays
  • Yarn (clean)
  • Zines
  • Ziploc-style plastic bags (clean)

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Architecture and design samples

What we can accept:

  • fabric samples (loose and in books)
  • fabric bolts
  • small samples of laminate, flooring, tile, metal, countertop (6″ x 6″ or smaller)
  • miscellaneous small samples
  • loose carpet squares (size limit: up to and including 24″ x 24″)

What we cannot accept:

  • any samples bigger than 6″ x 6″ (except fabric and carpet samples)
  • binders, books, folders
  • spec sheets, tip sheets, cut sheets
  • any samples that are glued down, laminated, or encased in or on another surface/page/paper/binder
  • full sized bricks
  • vinyl siding of any size  

We strongly encourage contacting manufacturers for recycling of samples and reducing the number of samples your office accepts from all manufacturers.

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