“Thrift store donations help your neighbors”

Lisa Pemberton of The Olympian wrote:

“When you donate clothes, furniture and other household goods to Yelm Community Services’ Thrift Shop, you do more than clean out your closets.

The nonprofit thrift store at 624 Crystal Springs Road N.W. in Yelm raises money to benefit Yelm Community Services, which provides assistance to low-income families in the Yelm and Rainier area.

Some of the agency’s services include a food bank, rental assistance for families and a clothing bank. Here’s how you can support the shop and the services:

Types of items you can donate: The thrift store accepts an array of gently used household items, from clothing, linens and shoes, to toys, books, DVDs and videos.

‘We even take records,’ thrift store worker David Robinson said.

The shop also accepts a few items that some thrift stores shy away from, including clean mattresses of any size, furniture without stains or rips and small kitchen appliances such as crock pots and toasters.

Types of items you can’t donate: Because of safety concerns, the thrift store does not accept used car seats. Also, like many thrift stores, Yelm Community Services doesn’t accept used computer gear, such as monitors, keyboards and computer CPUs.

Large appliances: The shop does not accept large appliances, such as washers and dryers. However, workers can put you in touch with families in need of such items.

‘We do have a request list for people who can’t afford them,’ Robinson said.

Donation hours: Items can be brought in during store hours, which are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The agency requests that folks call ahead to make sure there’s room for donations. Robinson said that especially is a concern during the summer when the thrift shop receives a lot of donations left over from people’s garage sales. It usually takes a few days for the thrift shop to make room for more donations, Robinson said.

n More information: If you are interested in learning more about the Yelm Community Services’ Thrift Shop, call 360-458-4230.

Each Tuesday in Living, learn how to dispose of everything from electronics to hazardous materials. Share ideas for reducing, reusing or recycling with features reporter Lisa Pemberton at 360-704-6871.

From The Olympian:
“Don’t toss old medicines, try to recycle them”

‘Done with those pills? Just flush them down the toilet or throw them in the trash, right?

Not so fast: If you do, you could damage the environment or put a child at risk.

Fortunately, there is a better way to rid yourself of unneeded medicines, thanks to the Medicine Take Back Program, says Rachel Donnette, education and outreach specialist with Thurston County Environmental Health.

Here’s what you do:

Gather your unwanted medications.

Keep them in their original containers and mark out any personal information.

Find a pharmacy drop-off location near you by going to www.MedicineReturn.com or calling 800-RECYCLE (800-732-9253). In Thurston County, you can bring old medications to Group Health at 700 Lilly Road N.E. in Olympia.’