Donate Get Help

Donate
Items

Three people stand outside a building, smiling and holding backpacks near a cart piled high with colorful backpacks.

Donate new, unused items

Individuals, groups, community organizations, and businesses can donate new, unused items to support families and make a difference.

Donate new, unused goods

Thank you for supporting the families at People Serving People!

In-kind giving helps us provide families with all the necessities they need to stay at our shelter comfortably.

Due to limited storage in our facility, and to better meet the needs of families we serve, we do not accept used items with a few exceptions (see denoted items on our lists below). We do this to ensure that we provide a dignified experience for our shelter guests and minimize staff time spent processing donations, allowing us to focus on serving families.

SCHEDULE A DONATION DROP-OFF

Email

QUESTIONS?

612-277-0246

Call
Colorful backpacks in a circle with "Back to School Drive" text

200 School Children Need Your Support

Back to School Supplies Needed

DEADLINE TO DONATE: August 10, 2026

We are gearing up for our Back-to-School Events at People Serving People and need your help to ensure students have everything they need to kick off the school year!  In addition to backpacks, we need school supplies. Last year, we were short on much-needed items such as calculators, headphones, water bottles, and lunch boxes/bags.

HOW TO DONATE

  • We welcome groups, businesses, and other organizations to host donation drives!
  • You can donate supplies individually too!
SHOP WISH LISTS
Four Seasons Staff with a large stack of Amazon boxes and packages

Our Most Needed Items

People Serving People relies on our generous supporters to ensure that families have everything they need during their stays with us. Please see our current list of most-needed items, and also check the lists below for other items we need.

Please Note: Out of respect for the dignity of our families, and due to limited storage, we only accept new and/or unused items.

  • Full-sized blankets (High priority)
  • Formula: Enfamil Gentlease, Similac Sensitive, Similac 360 Total Comfort
  • Diapers: Sizes 4-7
  • Pack ’n’Plays and cribettes
  • Baby wash
  • Children's swimsuits
  • Feminine hygiene products: Super Pads
  • Lotion
  • BIPOC-friendly hair products
  • Brooms and dust pans
  • Toilet brushes
  • Laundry baskets (plastic, such as Sterilite)
  • Box fans (20 inch)
  • Humidifiers
  • Mini Fridges (6 can): for breast milk and/or medications

Shop our online registries

The needs of our guests vary, but some items are always in demand. You can purchase many of our most-needed items through our Amazon and Target registries. Depending on the time of year, we have registries that meet seasonal needs, such as our winter toy drive or back-to-school supplies drive. Using these registries is a great and easy way to ship essential supplies directly to our shelter. 

Please send your donation to the following address:

People Serving People 
Attn: Development Office
614 South 3rd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Downtown Shelter Wish List St. Anne's Place Wish List Back-to-School Wish List 2026 - Backpacks Back-to-School Wish List 2026 - Supplies

How to donate needed items

More urgently needed items

First, please review the lists below to see the items our families most need so that you can prioritize your donations accordingly.

Appliances and household supplies
  • 20″ Box fans
  • Brooms
  • Dust pans
  • Humidifiers
  • Laundry baskets (plastic such as Sterilite)
  • 6-can/4-liter Mini Fridges (for breast milk)
  • Toilet brushes
Children’s supplies
  • Diapers, sizes 1-7
  • Gloves and hats (not infants)
  • GoodNites, boys and girls – all sizes
  • Pull-Ups/Training Pants, boys and girls – sizes 3T, 4T, 5T
  • Pack ‘n Plays/Cribettes
  • Enfamil Gentlease Powder Formula
  • Similac® Advance Powder Formula
  • Similac® NeoSure OptiGRO Formula
  • Similac® Sensitive Powder Formula
  • Similac® Soy Isomil Powder Formula
Family supplies
  • Bilingual books, all ages – Spanish preferred
  • Body wash
  • Tampons, size S
  • Fem Hygiene Pads – Super size
  • Pillows, standard size
  • Sheet sets, Twin/Twin XL or Full
  • Towels – Bath size and washcloths
  • Trash Bags with a drawstring

Items that are always needed

Baby items
  • Baby bottles
  • Baby bottle brushes
  • Baby socks – Grippy
  • Baby washcloths
  • Baby wipes
  • Bibs
  • Infant play mats
  • Pacifiers
  • Pack and Play
  •  Sippy cups
  • Teethers
Beauty & hygiene products
  • Beauty products – New (make-up, skincare, haircare, etc.)
  • Body lotion
  • Body wash
  • Conditioner (Full-sized containers only)
  • Deodorant
  • Haircare products
  • Hair beads
  • Hair elastics
  • Shampoo (Full-sized containers only)
  • Skincare products
  • Women’s house shoes (slippers with hard bottoms to wear inside the shelter)
Children's items

Art supplies (new)

  •       Board games
  •       Bathing suits (ages 1-18)
  •       Books for elementary readers (books for bilingual and BIPOC readers preferred)
  •       Card games
  •       Coloring books
  •       Colored pencils
  •       Crayons
  •       Pop-it/fidget toys
Cleaning products
  • Bleach
  • Brooms
  • Clorox wipes
  • Dish soap 
  • Mops
  • Paper towels
  • Scrubbing bubbles
  •  Sponges
  •  Surface cleaner
  • Toilet bowl cleaner
  • Windex
Household items
  •       Air Mattresses – twin, full, and queen
  •       Blankets for beds (twin and full)
  •       Brooms
  •       Comforters (twin and full)
  •       Dish towels
  •       Dryer sheets
  •       Facial tissues/Kleenex
  •       Laundry hamper/basket
  •       New pots and pans sets
  •       New dishware sets
  •       New silverware sets
  •       New glass cup sets
  •       Pillow cases
  •       Sheet sets (twin and full)
  •       Shower curtains
  •       Shower hooks
  •       Shower rods
  •       Shower towels
  •       Sleep sacks
  •       Starter dish sets (inexpensive, microwavable plastic plates and cups)
  •       Storage bins with lids – new or used
  •       Swiffers
  •       Toilet paper
  •       Toiletries – (Full-sized preferred)
  •       Wash clothes
  •       Ziploc bags
Snacks
  • Bottled water
  • Granola bars
  • Goo Goo Squeezes
  • Juice boxes
  • Individually packaged snacks (Goldfish, Cheez-its, etc.)
Other
  •       Air fryers
  •       Coffee makers
  •       Crockpots
  •       CLR
  •       Electric paint shaker
  •       Forever stamps
  •       Gift bags
  •       Gift cards (Amazon and Target preferred)
  •       Headphones/earbuds – new
  •       Infrared camera – new or used
  •       Journals
  •       Reusable water bottles
  •       Sketch books
  •       Speakers – new
  •       Stereo receiver – new or used (Must be Audio and Visual)
  •       White letter-sized paper

New clothing items needed

Adults
  • Underwear, sizes S – 3X 
  • Shirts, S – 3X 
  • Sweatpants, Small to 3X 
  • Coats, Small to 3X 
  • Underwear packs, Small to 3X 
  • Packs of Socks  
Children
  • Gloves and hats (not infant)
  • Shirts, 2T – XL 
  • Sweatshirts, 2T – XL 
  • Pants, 2T – XL 
  • Underwear, 2T to XL  
  • Coats, Newborn to XL 
  • Underwear packs, 2T to XL  
  • Packs of socks 

Schedule a time to donate your items

Please reach out to us directly at volunteering@peopleservingpeople.org to schedule a delivery at any of our shelters. Due to limited storage and staffing, donation drop-offs must be scheduled.

Email Us
picture of woman holding up child's coat on hanger and sign that says coat drive

Set up a donation drive

Hosting a donation drive is a great way to make a direct impact on families at People Serving People! Simply select approved items to donate and complete our donation drive form.

We love it when our community finds creative, new ways to bring people into the fold of our mission. We want to express our sincere gratitude to newlyweds, James and Amanda, who contributed through a unique act of kindness! In lieu of wedding gifts, they asked attendees to bring new or gently used coats to donate to families at our shelter. They donated over 70 coats and raised $1,400 for us to purchase extra winter gear for our guests.

Note: Donation drives that include items not listed above must be approved in advance.

Set Up A Drive

If we don't accept it, check with other organizations


If you have items to donate that aren’t a good fit for People Serving People, don’t fret! Used clothes, travel-sized toiletries, single pairs of socks and underwear, and individually packaged kits are more useful to other organizations that provide outreach to those experiencing housing instability.

Sharing and Caring Hands 

525 North 7th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55405

  • Food – boxed and canned pantry items for their Food Shelf 
  • Gently used clothing and shoes 
  • Used household items, including kitchenware  
  • Car seats, strollers

Bridging MN 

3 locations in Bloomington, Plymouth, and Roseville

  • Furniture of any kind 
  • Used household items, including kitchenware   
  • Appliances and electronics, including microwaves, lamps, TVs, and vacuums 
  • Artwork

Sabathani Community Center

  • Food – nonperishable food items, fresh vegetables from gardens, canned items 
  • Gently used clothing and shoes

RoundtableRX

  • RoundtableRx accepts donations of unused, unexpired medications and select medical supplies. Healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals from any state can donate to RoundtableRx.

More ways to give

Looking for additional opportunities to make a difference? Find out how to make a monetary gift, volunteer, and stay connected through our supporter events and newsletters.

Learn More

Donate

Your donations make our programs possible, ensuring that our families have everything they need to thrive.

Learn More
Learn More

Volunteer

Volunteers are essential to meeting the needs of our families, from meal service to education volunteers.

Learn More
Learn More

Stay Connected

Sign up and stay connected with our mission and needs through our monthly newsletters.

Learn More