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Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, is currently in need of the following items. If you have new or gently used items you would like to donate, please contact us by
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or phone (856-342-8865). Your message will be returned within 3 business days.
Delivery is preferred. On a very limited basis, we are able to pick up some donations on Mondays (10AM-1PM) and on the second Saturday of the month (8:30AM-12:30PM). Please see more information below in “Frequently Asked Questions.”
Thank you for your support of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, Inc!
This Month’s Urgent Needs
- Air Conditioners and Fans
- Men’s Clothing (Atlantic City Family & Community Center)
- Pots and Pans (Refugee Resettlement Program)
- Large Freezer (Westville Family & Community Center)
Year-Round Needs
- Couches and Love Seats
- Small Dressers
- Twin and Full Bed Sets (Mattresses, Boxsprings, Frames)
- Bed Linens (Sheets and Pillowcases, size twin and full)
- Blankets (size twin and full)
- Dining Room Tables with 4-6 Chairs
- Coffee and End Tables
- ESL/School Supplies
- Notebooks
- Pencils and Pens
- Folders
At this time, we cannot accept the following items:
- China Cabinets
- Large Pieces of Furniture
- Desks or Office Furniture
- Clothing, including shoes (besides this month’s urgent need in Atlantic City)
- Food
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the items I donate?
Catholic Charities offers donated items for free of charge to the clients we serve who are in need of the items and are not in a position to pay. Specifically we offer furniture and household items for free of charge to newly arrived refugee clients, victims of fire, victims of domestic violence and other clients who are accessing services through any one of our many programs. In addition, Catholic Charities sells items to community members for a nominal fee. This is done for a two reasons: (1) the money made from these sales allows us to operate the warehouse for all of the other clients; and (2) we firmly believe that there is inherent dignity in purchasing items for yourself and your family. Therefore, we offer the items at an affordable rate to anyone in the community who may benefit from “shopping” at the warehouse.
What do you mean by gently used?
Gently used items refer to items that are not soiled, stained, torn, broken or ripped. These items, while not brand new, are in good shape and are typically only being replaced as a matter of a change in taste not out of necessity. Gently used items are items that still look nice enough to offer to your neighbor.
If your clients are in need, why are you only accepting “gently used” donations - isn’t something better than nothing?
“Whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions...are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury.” (The Church and the Modern World, #27)
As Catholics we believe in the inherent dignity of every person and we are called to affirm that dignity in our words and our deeds. Our tradition teaches that every person is sacred and that those who are poor and vulnerable deserve special respect – this is called “Preferential Option for the Poor”. As a Catholic Agency, we take special care to ensure that the items we offer to our clients and the community members at large are items that they can be proud to own and will affirm their special place in the hearts of the Church.
Why won’t you take my item?
Unfortunately Catholic Charities is very limited in terms of storage and warehouse space. Therefore, we are often faced with the difficulty of turning away items that could potentially be put to go use in the future because we do not have the space to store the items. The Community Resource and Warehouse Program maintains constant contact with programs in the agency to ascertain the immediate material needs of clients and those are the items for which that we must first and foremost ensure adequate warehouse space.
The Diocese covers six counties, why will you not travel to my county to pick up items if I live in the Diocese?
Unfortunately, we only have one truck for the warehouse at the moment and the truck is based in the city of Camden. It is too costly (both in terms of staff resources and gas) to travel great distances to pick up a couple of items. However, if we are able to schedule several pickups in the same area, then we are often able to make the trip cost-effective, but this can take some time to plan.
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