Where to Start
Watch our Facebook page for regular news and updates about what we need most at the FreeStore
Special Note: At this time, the FreeStore is experiencing extraordinary client activity and a slowdown in our donations of furniture and household goods. As a result, our inventory is very low, so we are slowing down serving our clients to conserve inventory. We are currently critically low on couches, living room chairs, queen mattresses and box springs, full mattresses and box springs, metal bed frames, cookware, pots and pans, dish sets, drinking glasses, small appliances and linens. Please consider donating these items by calling 515-282-3733, or by clicking the Donate button above.
In addition, we have a high need for the following items:
Bath towels, hand towels and washcloths
Bed comforters, especially twin size
Shower curtains and liners
Kitchen dishcloths and hot pads
Kitchen utensils (silverware sets, spatulas, large spoons, measuring cups and spoons, etc.)
Small kitchen appliances (mixers, blenders, crockpots, coffee pots, etc.)
Pots and pans, especially medium-large sizes
Bakeware (cookie sheets, pizza pans, baking dishes, 9 x 13 pans)
Glass bakeware (eg, Pyrex)
Tupperware and other plastic storage containers
Couches and loveseats
We are currently experiencing high demand for residential pick-ups.
It may be 2-3 weeks before we can pick up your items.
Please consider dropping your items at our warehouse during our business hours.
FreeStore News & Events
New Artwork!
We’ve added new artwork to make for a happier shopping experience! Thank you to Mollie Wallace for the interior showroom painting. Part of our remodeling to make a happier shopping experience for our clients. Mollie also did our new exterior mural.
We’re Expanding!
Our warehouse at 841 11th Street serves us very well because of its design and location. However, because of increased client demand, we have been bursting at the seams and have had to use additional offsite storage. An additional 2,000 square feet adjacent to the warehouse became available on July 1 and we are in the … Read more
News & Events
Volunteer of the Year
Congratulations to Carol and Bryan Litscher, who were named Volunteers of the Year at the April Annual Meeting! Volunteers are the lifeblood of the FreeStore, and the Litschers have generously shared their time and skills in providing service to our guests.
Carol is a warehouse sorter. Every time she comes in, there will be cardboard boxes or plastic bags filled with donated linens, kitchenware, and all manner of goods. Her job is to make decisions on what to keep, what to repair, what to give to other charities, and what to discard.
Bryan developed a web-based client application that has greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy of the client application submittal process. He also helps in the warehouse along with Carol.
Lisa’s Story
Life has changed a lot since that day a dozen years ago when Lisa Stagg picked out household supplies from the FreeStore warehouse and watched as volunteers delivered the goods to her new apartment. Since then she took herself to college, got a great job, bought a house, and centered her life around two lively children.
She still has the plates and a comforter and a few other items she chose at the warehouse that day. “Every time I use them it takes me back to that day. What an amazing experience.”
After fleeing an abusive husband and taking refuge in a shelter for several months, an apartment was arranged for her. “But I had nothing except clothing. Someone at the shelter recommended your service and when I walked in the warehouse, I remember saying that I could use a couple of those things, and the volunteer said, ‘You pick out what you need.’ It brought me to tears in a good way.”
She got beds, a dresser, a couch, kitchen goods, a small television and other items, all delivered that day, all at no cost. “It was a huge weight off my shoulders. I don’t know how to put it into words. It was like I was the most important person in the world,” she said.
FreeStore Board Chair Diane Munns said it’s unusual to get years-later feedback from clients, and that Lisa’s story is an inspiration for our volunteers. “While we know we are just a small cog in the support system necessary for families in crisis to succeed, we are thrilled at Lisa’s story and so happy we could be a part of it. Thanks to Lisa for agreeing to share her story.”
