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RAFT relies on the manufacturing community to provide the bulk of materials found in our warehouse and distributed through various kits and programs.

Items that you’ve been discarding or recycling can become fascinating learning tools. With some imagination your odds and ends can be incredibly useful. Please think about what you throw away or currently recycle. If it’s clean, safe, and abundant; if it’s an interesting shape, color, or texture; if you think a kid might like it….call us.

RAFT is always looking for new items to create learning activities. With this goal and space constraints in mind, we must be selective about what can be accepted. Materials must be new, in clean condition, and suitable for student use. Bulk quantities are preferred. We are always looking for the following:

  • Arts and Crafts - Stretched canvases, colored cellophane, drawing materials, framing materials (matt board, frames), scrapbooking supplies, stickers
  • Lab equipment - New beakers, flasks and test tubes, funnels, working microscopes, petri dishes, pipettes, tips and trays, vials, gloves
  • Manufacturing/packaging materials - Collapsible boxes, decorative and gift boxes, end cuts and punch outs from manufacturing, foam pieces mailers, misses or overruns, corrugated plastic
  • Hardware supplies - Wire, rope, tubing, rubber goods
  • Office - calendars, erasers, pens, highlighters, markers, pencils, erasers, paper clips, staples and staplers, tape dispensers, adhesive tape, rubber bands, maps
  • Paper - 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
  • Party supplies - Balloons, seasonal party supplies
  • Kitchen – Bamboo skewers, coffee stirrers, clean new food trays, polystyrene #6, drinking cups, strawberry baskets, straws, plastic bottles, straws. All items must be new and unused.
  • Specialty items - Foil printing paper, Mylar, old vinyl records
  • Wooden materials - Beads, dowels, scrap wood
  • Textiles - Carpet squares, large fabric pieces, sample books, pleated fabric shades, string, yarn
  • Plastics – new containers of all kinds, film canisters with lids
  • Promotional items - bags, mugs, caps, t-shirts, polo shirts, trade show gifts
  • Electronics - LED lights, mini Christmas tree lights, switches, speakers

We DO NOT accept the following:

  • Soiled, hazardous, contaminated, or broken items
  • Small quantities of any item
  • Large furniture items such as desks or partitions. Please click here for information about furniture we can accept.
  • Household items, such as clothes, infant items, stuffed toys, or appliances
  • CRT monitors, old software, mouse pads
  • Containers that once held food, vitamins, or medications
  • Containers that once held soap, bleach, or petroleum products
  • Sharp items, such as needles or metal/glass fragments
  • Binders over 2 ½ inches (too big for backpacks)
  • Packaging supplies (i.e. peanuts or packing foam)
  • Styrofoam
  • Teaching manuals, guidebooks, or lesson plans
  • Pinecones, bark, or animal items
  • Newspapers

In addition to material donations there are other ways you can get involved and support RAFT’s mission. We welcome financial donations and volunteers as well! Your financial contributions help us in this economic climate when low-cost educational supplies are needed more than ever.

RAFT offers FREE pick up of donated materials for Greater Sacramento Area businesses with at least one pallet-load (approximately 20-40 boxes) of materials set aside. Submit a Donation Pickup Request online

All donations to RAFT are tax-deductible as allowed by law.