One of the vehicles that Community Warehouse uses is a TriMet bus van, one of two donated by the transportation provider to aid in picking up donated furniture.

Community Warehouse, a nonprofit that provides essential furniture for individuals and families in need, has opened a new Tigard facility to house its donations of clean and gently used items.

On Sept. 3, Community Warehouse opened in an expansive space at 9806 S.W. Tigard St. with the Tigard Chamber of Commerce hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 19.

“Our model is that we accept donated furniture and household items from the community, whether that’s individuals or businesses, and we redistribute those items to folks in our community who need it,” said Phil Gerigscott, Community Warehouse communications manager. “We’re a referral-based model, which means we partner with over 200 social service agencies in the community who connect us to their clients, a lot of whom are coming from homelessness or leaving a domestic abuse situation, or are immigrants, just any life circumstance where someone finds themselves without furniture and household items. That’s what we’re here for.”

Gerigscott said the type of items they look for are in “dignity condition,” more specifically “something that you would feel good giving to someone that they’ll use in their home.”

The new Tigard location replaces the former Tualatin warehouse site on Nyberg Street. That site, which had been in operation for about a decade, became problematic due to recurring issues with flooding.

“Were now both more accessible to the majority of folks who need our services, and actually a lot of our donors were coming from this side anyway. It’s just a really accessible location for us,” Gerigscott said.

Community Warehouse also has a Portland furniture bank as well as a donation location in Gresham.

Gerigscott since furnishing an entire home is expensive, and those who need the warehouse’s services generally could use any extra money they have to cover expenses like food or paying rent.

Those in need of the furniture can come in and browse — or if they don’t have access to transportation — they can make an appointment for delivery. In addition, Community Warehouse is now offering virtual appointments where employees will take their cell phones around the warehouse and show customers the options in furniture and accessories.

“On average, we furnish 70 homes a week,” said Gerigscott, a southeast Portland resident. “So, this past year (2023), we served a total of 6,685 people.”

So popular has the service been that the majority of larger pieces of furniture entering the warehouse are in a client’s home immediately or within 48 hours of being donated.

“What I think is so special about our mission is it’s a way for people to get involved and make a difference today,” he said. “You know, (the furniture is) not sitting around. It’s making a difference in someone’s life today, especially if it’s an item that you’re not using anymore.”

Gerigscott said they also try to make donating easy by offering to pick up items in one of Community Warehouse’s trucks for $50, covering the west side and accepting items as far away as Beaverton and Hillsboro. That $50 is on a sliding scale, and while no on is obligated to pay more, it cost about $130 to send out a truck, so donations are gladly accepted. You can drop items off as well.

“I mean the main message I want to get across to people is just that donating to us is easy. People need it to be easy, and we’re open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You don’t need an appointment,” he said. “Just roll on up. We’ll take a look at what you got. I recommend people check out our donation guidelines on our website before they come, but we’re always happy to take a look and let you know what we can take.”

What’s also unique about Community Warehouse is it’s one of the few places in the Portland-metro area that will accept mattresses, one of the most sought-after items.

“We take size twin through queen. We can’t take king and we can’t take latex mattresses due to their weight. They are extremely heavy,” he said, adding that they also need anything associated with bedding including linens, sheets and pillows.

Other items they accept include dressers, sofas and kitchen items such as silverware, dishware, microwaves and toasters.

“Thanks to our amazing volunteers, we’re able to keep things pretty well organized so people can kind of know what they’re looking for,” said Gerigscott.

He said something to keep in mind too is that those 70 households they serve weekly generally consist of more than one person.

“Those households might be households of four or five, so we might need 120 mattresses per week, or 70 sofas a week,” Gerigscott said.

For more information, visit communitywarehouse.org.