Dropping off donations
Helping Hands relies on the generosity of our community. Every item donated and sold in our op shops helps keep our stores running and directly supports people in need through our two Emergency Aid programs.
Our donation hours are Monday - Saturday, 9.30am - 3.30pm.
Find your nearest op shop to drop off donations to, or learn more here about larger furniture collections.
What can I donate?
Our team is happy to accept most items, as long as they’re clean, safe, and in good quality condition. This will always include things like clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories, jewellery, books, small electrical items, homewares, linen and furniture.
While we’re grateful for every donation, there are some items we’re unable to take due to safety, hygiene, or because we currently have an excess of them. Items that are damaged, broken, unsafe, or not in good working condition are difficult for us to resell or pass on to the community, and can be costly to dispose of.
Items we can’t accept
Broken or damaged furniture
Stained clothing
Doonas & pillows
School textbooks
Magazines and encyclopaedias
Stained mattresses
Items we accept on occasion
Picture frames
Canvas prints
CD’s, DVD’s and video tapes
Books
Stuffed toys
What we consider quality
We love every donation, and to make the biggest difference, we ask that items are in good, usable condition. By donating items that meet these standards, you help us make sure every contribution goes straight to supporting people in need and keeping our stores running smoothly.
Quality items are:
Clean, safe, and free from damage
Fully functional, with no missing parts
Electrical goods that are in good working order
Free from stains, tears, holes or excessive wear
Why we can’t always take everything — and how that helps families in need
We’re incredibly grateful for your generosity. Every donation helps us keep quality items out of landfill and raises vital funds through our op shops. The proceeds from these op shops go directly to our community pantries, providing food to around 150 families each day. By ensuring we stock quality goods in our op shops, these items are more likely to sell, which means more funds to support families facing hardships.
With limited space in our op shops and warehouses, we need to make sure every donation has the best chance of finding a new home. Thank you for understanding—and for helping us make every donation count!
While we’d love to accept everything, we sometimes can’t.
This may be because:
It isn’t in a condition that we can pass on – we can only sell items that are safe, clean, and ready for a new owner to enjoy.
Our stock of this item is currently full – sometimes our shelves are full, and we need to pause accepting certain things until there’s room again.
It’s not something we can sell – from our 18 years of experience, we’ve learned that some items just don’t sell in our op shops, and keeping them takes up valuable space.
