Items that you’ve been discarding or recycling can become fascinating learning tools. With some imagination, your odds and ends can be incredibly useful.
Donating materials to RAFT benefits the education community, the environment, and your business.
Reduce the financial burden on local teachers and students by providing them with low-cost supplies and hands-on learning activities.
Help preserve our environment by contributing your reusable “waste” to RAFT, diverting it from landfills.
All materials donated to RAFT can be written off as a charitable contribution as allowed by law.
We offer free pick-ups of donated materials from Bay Area businesses of about 20 banker-sized boxes of materials. We may be able to schedule pick-ups of smaller quantities of donations.
Corporate and business donation pick-up hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm. To request a pick-up, fill out the material donations form below.
Materials must be new, in clean condition, and suitable for student use. Bulk quantities are preferred.
Old inventory and returned product. Manufacturing overruns and misprints. Swatches, samples, and end pieces. Functioning electronics.
Pens, pencils, erasers, highlighters, markers, paper and binder clips, staples and staplers, tape dispensers, adhesive tape, rubber bands, file folders, office organizers, calculators, hole punches, file cabinets, desks, office chairs
Stretched canvases, colored cellophane, drawing materials, framing materials (mat board, frames), scrapbooking supplies, stickers
Collapsible boxes, decorative gift boxes, end cuts and punch-outs from manufacturing, foam pieces, mailers, misses or overruns
Beakers, flasks, test tubes, funnels, Petri dishes, pipettes, tips and trays, vials, gloves. All items must be new and unused.
Corporate branded bags, mugs, caps, t-shirts, polo shirts, trade show gifts
Cardboard tubes, packaged cardstock and colored paper, packaged copy paper, foam core board, envelopes, poster board, cash register tape, paper or canvas bags, tissue paper
Balloons, seasonal party supplies, holiday decorations
Carpet squares, large fabric pieces, sample books, string, yarn
Coffee stirrers, food trays, drinking cups, strawberry baskets, plastic bottles, straws. All items must be new and unused.
Foil printing paper, corks, rubber goods, beads, dowels, scrap wood, plastic containers, film canisters with lids
And anything a teacher or classroom can use. All donations must be approved by RAFT prior to acceptance.
Soiled, hazardous, contaminated, or broken items
Containers that once held food or chemicals, such as soap, bleach, or petroleum products
Sharp items, such as needles or metal or glass fragments
Teaching manuals, guidebooks, or lesson plans
Household items, such as clothes, infant items, or appliances
Styrofoam, newspapers, pinecones, bark, or animal items
We reserve the right to refuse donations that may have been approved due to item condition and/or space constraints.
At this time, we are unable to accept household donations. Please check back soon for any changes.
Tell us what you have and include at least one photo. We review every donation before we accept it and will get back to you about next steps. Questions? Call 408-451-1420 or email raft@raft.net.
RAFT provides recycled and low-cost STEAM learning materials, makerspace support, and professional development workshops for educators and their students in the Bay Area and nationwide.
