Where To Donate Used Medical Equipment In San Francisco

For anyone who wants to donate used medical equipment in San Francisco, I have put together a list of all the organizations, and their locations, that I could find, to which you can donate.

In San Francisco, you can donate your used medical equipment to –

• the California Assistive Technology Program “Ability Tools”
• reuse centers such as “Recares” or “ILR of Solano and Contra Costa Counties”
• recycling centers, such as “The Marin Medical Equipment Recyclers”
• the “Independent Living Resource Center, San Francisco”
• loan closets and lending libraries for medical equipment, such as “A Soldier’s Dove” or “NorCal SCI”
• nonprofits helping the disabled in their communities, such as “Breathe California Bay Area”
• Thrift stores, such as “The St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store”, or “Little Shop of Hoarders SF”
• Salvation army stores
• Rotary Clubs
• Lyons Clubs
• humanitarian organizations, such as “MedShare” and “VIDA USA”
• nursing homes
• veteran centers
• senior centers

You can also donate used medical equipment person-to-person, in San Francisco, using online platforms and social media sites such as –

• Craigslist.com
• usedHME.com
• Freecycle.org
• Facebook.com
• Nextdoor.com
• OfferUp.com

Or

• Med-Eq.org, who will help you donate your equipment to a charity registered with them

You will find links to my guides on how to use each of these online platforms to donate your medical equipment.

The examples listed above are only a few examples of the opportunities available for donating used medical equipment in San Francisco. If you continue to read, you will discover many more, some of which may be a better fit for you.

With each organization, as well as their contacts, I have added any information if they only accept specific medical equipment, or have other requirements or requests regarding donations.

California Assistive Technology Program

Ability Tools – the California Assistive Technology Program

Ability tools is possibly the easiest option for donating medical equipment, if you use their online equipment exchange.

Ability Tools has an online Assistive Technology Exchange where both organizations, and individuals, can post AT devices, which includes durable medical equipment, for donation, or for sale – it’s free, and any state resident can sign up.

So you can very easily post your equipment online at the Assistive Technology Exchange website, as a donation, if you don’t want to have to take it to a reuse donation drop off location, and then arrange for a pick-up as and when someone wants it.

The Assistive Technology Exchange website can be found by going to – http://abilitytools.org/services/at-exchange-transition.php

Ability Tools is also partnered with reuse programs who post their available inventory on the Assistive Technology Exchange website.

Some Reuse Programs part of a coalition known as the California Assistive Technology Reuse Coalition.

You can find the demonstration centers and lending libraries on the Ability Tools website here.

Reuse centers in and near San Francisco

Independent Living Resources of Solano and Contra Costa Counties (ILR)

The reuse program helps seniors and people with disabilities who need AT devices and DME, but who are unable to pay for them.

The program accepts donations from private individuals.

The equipment could be items such as –

• manual wheelchairs
• power wheelchairs
• walkers

To donate, them a call at the office near you.

Their website: https://ilrscc.org

Address:

1850 Gateway Blvd, Ste. 170
Concord, CA 94520

Phone: 925 363 729

Satellite Offices:

301 West 10th Street, #18

Antioch, CA 94509

Phone: 925 754 0539

470 Chadbourn Road,
Suite B
Fairfield, CA 94534

Phone: 707 435 8174

ReCares (formerly Home Cares)

ReCares collects “gently” used medical equipment, as well as, unused health care supplies.

ReCares suggests donations of items such as –

• wheelchairs
• walkers
• canes
• adult briefs
• shower chairs
• tub/transfer benches
• chux (disposable underpads)

The main ReCares center is located at –

2619 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 510 251 2273

Do call to get the times that you can make a donation, as things will have changed with Covid-19.

The website situation is rather confusing, as they one website called “homecares.org” (their past name) and a new one called “recares.net”, although the information is the same.

Website: http://homecares.org 

or             

https://recares.net        

They also have satellite offices –

The alleyway of 63 Dorland St
Dorland St
San Francisco,
CA 94110

Phone: 415 487 5405

No website

Marin Medical Equipment Recyclers

3100 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael,
Ca 94901

Phone: 415 388 8198

Website: https://marinmer.org/

The Marin Medical Equipment Recyclers site accepts –

• wheelchairs
• companion chairs
• transfer benches
• shower chairs
• orthopedic supports
• blood pressure machines
• nebulizers
• canes
• crutches
• commodes
• walkers
• grabbers
• wedge pillows
• therapeutic cushions

In addition, they accept the following medical supplies –

• diapers
• panty pads
• bed pads
• latex
• vinyl gloves
• wipes
• and more

If you wish to donate a larger item such as a power scooter, you are asked to call Marin Medical Equipment Recyclers, so they may match you, the donor, with a recipient. This way the recipient of your donation can organize the pickup, and transport, for the item themselves.

Do call before you go to make a donation, as during the pandemic the location has often been forced to close.

Centers for Independent Living (CILS) In San Francisco

Centers for Independent Living, or CIL’s, provide the support and services required by people with disabilities so that they may live independently in the community.

CIL’s typically maintain free medical equipment loan closets for their members, so you can always contact the CIL in San Francisco.

The CIL in San Francisco is –

Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF)

825 Howard St, Street Level,

San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone: 415 543 6222

Website: https://www.ilrcsf.org/get-support/assistive/

There are other CIL’s in the Bay Area, you can find them all here –

https://www.cfilc.org/find-ilc/?search=Bay%20Area

Cheap used medical equipment at Goodwill Stores in the San Francisco

Goodwill stores only accept items if they are clean and gently used, so if your equipment is damaged or poor condition, I wouldn’t bother taking it to a Goodwill store.

Secondly, not all Goodwill stores accept home medical equipment, so it’s a good idea to call the stores in your area before you waste your time for no reason.

Goodwill stores in San Francisco

Goodwill has 13 stores across San Francisco
To locate a store near you in San Francisco, use their locator tool  here.

Salvation Army donation drop-off locations in San Francisco

The Salvation Army, accepts donations including some home medical equipment, but only so long as it is in good condition.

To donate home medical equipment you will want to go to this page on their website  – https://satruck.org/

Below is a screenshot of that page.

Enter your zip code in the box below the service you require, and you will see a map with all the locations, addresses and contact links, as you can see in the screenshot below.

All you have to do is to pick a site from the map, or the list, and contact them about dropping your donation off.

Other organizations and thrift stores which accept donations of equipment in the San Francisco Area

Little Shop of Hoarders SF

In this store, I’ve seen items such as –

• walkers
• crutches
• canes

But as with all thrift stores, do call them and make sure that they are still taking whatever type of equipment it is that you wish to donate.

Address:

2610 Bayshore Blvd,

San Francisco,

CA 94134

Phone: 415 797 8402

__________________

Moving Sale

Funky secondhand shop features a vast selection of used furniture, vintage housewares & knickknacks.

This store seems to have just about everything under the sun piled high – including walkers and crutches.

I would just give them a call to check if they are taking items, as it looks a little tight in there.

Address:

952 Howard St,

San Francisco,

CA 94103

Phone: 415 543 6833

Pick Of The litter Thrift Shop

The shop is run by the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA.

They take a wide range of household items, so just give them a call to check that they are taking durable medical equipment at the time of your call.

The website page for the shop is here – https://phs-spca.org/pick/

Address:

1127 Chula Vista Ave,

Burlingame,

CA 94010

Phone: 650 344 1662

_________________________

Society Of St. Vincent De Paul

The society has 3 thrift stores in the San Francisco area, where you can donate medical equipment.

The type of equipment suggested is –

• wheelchairs
• walkers
• canes
• quad canes

For more information about the donations, click here

Website: https://svdpsm.org/

South San Francisco

344 Grand Ave

South San Francisco, CA 94080

Phone: 650 589 8445

San Mateo

40 North B St,

San Mateo, CA94401

Phone: 650 294 8912

Menlo Park

728A Willow Rd,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

_________________

Society Of St. Vincent De Paul

Has 3 thrift stores, listed below, in the East Bay Area in Contra Costa County where you will find the following used medical equipment for sale –

• wheelchairs
• walkers
• canes
• quad canes

Pittsburg

2210 Gladstone Drive,

Pittsburg, CA

Phone: 925 439 9064

Brentwood Help and Hope thrift Center

8890 Brentwood Blvd,

Brentwood, CA 94513

Phone: 925 635 3214

Pleasant Hill

2815 Contra Costas Blvd,

Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Phone: 925 934 5063

_________________________

The Local Flea

To donate your equipment to The Local Flea, you need to go through their parent company, Remoov.

You cannot just go to the store and drop items off.

The website: https://thelocalflea.com/

To donate an item, go to The Local Flea website homepage.

Click on “Sell With Us” in the top right-hand side of the page, or go to the bottom of the page to “I Have Items To Sell”, and then click on “Get Started”.

The brief version of the process –

This will load the Remoov website page, and you will be asked to submit photos of your item, and then you will be given an estimate of a pickup price, if they want your item.

If you only have a small item you are giving away, this may be over the top, but if you have a larger item, and they accept it, it may help you  out.

You may also just deal directly with Remoov, by going to their website here – https://remoovit.com/

Loan closets which accept donations of medical equipment in San Francisco

A Soldier’s Dove

This is a nonprofit organization in the SF Bay Area which gifts sanitized and repaired gently used medical equipment, to those without insurance, or who are under-insured etc.

The types of medical equipment which they gift include –

• wheelchairs
• walkers
• bedside commodes
• shower chairs
• wheelchair cushions
• canes
• quad canes
• other bathroom safety equipment

To find out if you are eligible for their help, you can use the contact info below –

You can also email at – asoldiersdove@gmail.com

Website: https://www.soldiersdove.org/

Phone: 650 590 9111

_________________________

Breathe California of the Bay Area

Breathe California accepts working –

• CPAP
• Bi-PAP
• auto-PAP

“We accept all machines in a working condition and redistribute them free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to those in need”

To donate equipment, you need to go to this website page here.

You can contact Breathe by email –  info@lungsrus.org 

Address:

1469 Park Ave,

San Jose, 

Ca 95126

Phone: 408 998 5865

_________________________

NorCal SCI (Northern California Spinal Injury)

Here you will find used medical equipment which includes –

• power wheelchairs (no older than 3 yrs)
• manual wheelchairs
• walkers

NorCal SCI posts donated medical equipment in their online gallery of

free equipment here, and also gives equipment to individuals who have made a request for particular items, and are in need.

To request equipment, you need to go to this website page here.

You can contact NorCal SCI by email –  info@norcalsci.org .

Website: https://norcalsci.org/

Phone: 408 458 9863

_________________________

Nursing homes in the San Francisco area

If you are going to donate to a nursing home, I would call first and find out what equipment, if any, they are accepting – especially if you are reading this during the Covid-19 pandemic !

Senior Centers in San Francisco

Veteran Centers in San Francisco

Rather than visiting, just give them a call and see if they accept donations of medical equipment.

Donate used medical equipment in San Francisco near me, online

Certain online listings and social media platforms offer an easy way to donate your home medical equipment for free, and doing it very close to home, and with very little effort or time required.

You can post a listing online for very local areas, so you don’t have to ship, or travel far, to donate your item.

Points about pick-ups and about using online listings –

1) Your donation is going to have to exchange hands somewhere, but I wouldn’t do that at your home, especially if you are caring for an elderly, vulnerable person.

Good places to arrange the drop-off are coffee shops, a mall or somewhere else local – you don’t know who may be accepting your donation, and the person may have other motives.

2) Have another person go with you to the drop-off meeting to hand over the item, especially if you are a woman – there are a lot of creeps out there.

3) Create a throwaway email address if you are using Craigslist, as your email can easily get inundated with spam (Craigslist is notorious for this) – don’t use your main email.

4) Scamming – there are quite a few people scamming on some online services, which I realize when you are donating an item should not be a problem, but if you do go on to buy things yourself, or look for free items, do be aware of this. With services like Nextdoor, OfferUp and Facebook, you can take a look at a user’s profile. Don’t buy from people who have no profile photo, who only just joined, and who have no history.

Sites with listings where you can donate medical equipment –

• Craigslist.com
• Freecycle.org
• UsedHME.com
• Facebook Marketplace
• Nextdoor.com
• OfferUp and Letgo (now combined under OfferUp)

• Med-eq.org

In the description of your listing –

• be clear that you accept no responsibility for any breakage or accidents which may occur when the new owner uses it
• the person accepting your item accepts it “as is”
• you give no guarantee for the state of the equipment

I am only saying this, as we are dealing with used medical equipment such as bedside commodes and walkers, and you do not want to be held responsible if someone hurts themselves.

That said, don’t give people junk.

Donate used medical equipment in San Francisco near me, on Craigslist

On Craigslist.com anyone can list an item for sale or for free, or buy and accept items, it is a classic advertisement listing.

It is a simple process, where you will create a listing of your item.

It is available on mobile and desktop devices.

You can choose where your listing can be seen, you can even restrict it to certain neighborhoods in larger cities.

As I said, anyone can use Craigslist, so just be a little careful about giving out too much information, as there are a lot of creeps out there – users do not have a profile, and you cannot check out who the person is you are meeting, and remember to make a throwaway email for the listing.

In addition to the buying and selling listings, Craigslist has a garage or yard sale section, if you are looking for items yourself, and you can check the photographs that are posted for the garage sales – I know this is not donating your equipment, but you give your equipment to someone having a garage sale.

You can find my illustrated guide on donating used home medical equipment on Craigslist.com here – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ? An Illustrated Guide”

Donate used medical equipment in San

Francisco near me, on UsedHME.com

UsedHME.com is a “free listing service where people can, buy, sell or donate” used home medical equipment online.

The service works by using zip codes, so that people in your own zip code will be shown your listing.

There is the option of adding more zip codes around your own, to increase the number of people who see your listing, if you want to.

Remember to not give your main private email, and that it’s better to create a new one just for this to avoid you getting loads of spam mail.

There is a lot of free equipment on the listings, and the fact that it only has medical equipment, makes it easier for people who are looking for free items, like yours, to find them.

All the transactions are entirely between the buyer and the seller, or the donator and the and the person who accepts the equipment, and the website does not interfere.

You can find my illustrated guide on donating used home medical equipment on UsedHME.com here – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On UsedHME ? An illustrated Guide”

Donate used medical equipment in San

Francisco near me, on Freecycle.org

Freecycle.org is another very good option for those looking to find a new owner for their home medical equipment.

There is no buying and selling, everything is offered for free.

This network is constructed upon a shared philosophy of gifting and reusing, and stopping still usable items from going into landfill.

To be able to offer your items, you need to become a member, which is free and simple enough to do.

Before becoming a member, you can check the groups in your area, see what people are offering and requesting.

So, visit the sight, find a group in your area, join the group, and then donate whatever items you would like.

You can find my illustrated article on how to donate used home medical equipment near you on Freecycle.org, here – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me on Freecycle.org ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide”

Donate used medical equipment in San

Francisco near me, on Facebook

Facebook makes it relatively simple to donate items to others in your local community, and if you are already a Facebook member, it should be a piece of cake.

With a Facebook account, you have two options –

• join local “buy and sell” groups
• place listed ads on the Facebook Marketplace

All manner of items can be sold and donated in “buy and sell” groups, and on the Facebook Marketplace.

You cannot do it without a Facebook account, but you can join for free.

You can find my illustrated guide on how to donate used home medical equipment on Facebook, here – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? An Illustrated Guide”

Donate used medical equipment in San

Francisco near me, on Nextdoor.com

Nextdoor.com is a local community online platform, where you can do anything from get alerts about bear sightings in your neighborhood, traffic accidents, and  also buy, sell and giveaway stuff.

Businesses who are in your area will list their services and run ads, and you can check out what people thought of the work they did.

It is all done on a neighborhood level, so it is a great place to buy, sell or give away free items, very locally.

You have to be a member to do this, but it is free.

When you join, Nextdoor uses your address to put you in the right neighborhood, so it is a little more difficult than on other sites for fake identities.

Do not be lulled into a false sense of security, there are scammers and fraudsters on all platforms, and just because someone lives nearby does not mean they are a safer person to deal with.

As with the other sites, don’t give away equipment which is in a crappy condition.

You can find my illustrated guide on how to donate used home medical equipment on Nextdoor.com, here –  “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor ? An Illustrated Guide”

Donate used medical equipment in San Francisco near me, on OfferUp

OfferUp is a “mobile first” platform, for selling and buying used goods – you can also use it on desktop.

It is very quick to use, but you have downloaded the free app to your mobile.

Setting the area that you want your listing to be shown in, and  items to pick-ups only, will keep it all in your local area.

Offerup bought the app Letgo and combined the services.

I have not written an article on OfferUp, as there is a very good video on this, which you can see below.

Donate used medical equipment in San Francisco near me, with Med-eq.org

Med-eq.org is another online platform where you can donate your equipment, although it does it a bit differently, from the other sites above.

Private individuals can fill out a form on the website, and provide photographs of their medical equipment donation.

You list where you live, and you can state that you want the equipment to be picked up.

Shipping, if used, is assumed by the recipient of the equipment.

The information about your equipment is listed on the site.

Non-profit organizations which are members of Med-eq, and are interested in your donation, will contact you.

The Page for donations is here.

Organizations who may know where to donate used medical equipment near me

If you have any of the following institutions and administrations in your neighborhood, they should know where you can donate durable medical equipment –

• Your local Area Agency on Aging
• Department of social services
• Lions Clubs
• Rotary Clubs
• Local church communities
• Local town hall or chamber of commerce
• Local hospitals
• Emergency rooms
• Private clinics
• Faith based charities

Area Agency on Aging in San Francisco

The agencies for San Francisco are the San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services

The agency

“Coordinates services to older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families to maximize self-sufficiency, safety, health, and independence so that they can remain living in the community for as long as possible and maintain the highest quality of life.”

The website address for the San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services is – https://www.sfhsa.org/about/departments/department-disability-and-aging-services-das

San Mateo County Area Agency on Aging

The agency provides

“Adult Day and Adult Day Health Care, Congregate and Home Delivered Meals, Transportation, Family Caregiver Support Program, Case Management, Medication Management, Health promotion and disease prevention, Senior employment, and more.”

The website address for the San Mateo County Area Agency on Aging is – https://www.smchealth.org/services-aging-and-adult

Health and Social services in San Francisco

There are lots of departments functioning under the umbrella  of the Health and Social Services, in the City and County of San Francisco, so you can also try here to find a home for your equipment.

You will find the list of departments at this link  here.

You can just choose a department and then follow through to their website to get the contact information to make a call.

Another option is to contact the San Francisco Human Services Agency, who provide support for the community –

• food
• healthcare
• financial
• employment
• childcare

Lions Clubs

The Lions have lots of charitable programs, some even running community loan closets for medical equipment.

Their locator tool will help you find clubs near you, where you can inquire if they have a loan closet, or can if they can point you in the direction of a club in your area which does.

I have an illustrated guide explaining how to very quickly find a Lions Club near you, which you can read here.

Rotary Clubs

As with the Lions, the Rotary organization runs lots of different programs through its clubs.

To locate a club near you and find out if clubs in your area are taking donations of used medical equipment, you can use their locator tool.

I have an illustrated guide on how to very quickly locate a Rotary Club near you, that you can read here.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul, San Francisco

In San Francisco, the Society operates –

• a thrift store,
• has programs for the homeless
• has programs for those suffering from domestic violence

If you are having trouble finding a home for your used medical equipment, you can contact the society through their website to find out if they have any suggestions, or know of groups looking for equipment.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, San Francisco has a website here – https://svdp-sf.org/ 

The Catholic Charities of San Francisco

The Catholic Charities of San Francisco covers 3 areas –

• Marin
• San Francisco
• San Mateo

The Catholic Charities of San Francisco run –

• adult day services
• a senior center
• aging case management
• center for immigration – legal and support
• homelessness and housing services

If you are really stuck for where to donate medical equipment, you can contact the Catholic Charities, and ask them if they know of anywhere they know you can donate your equipment.

The Catholic Charities of San Francisco’s website is here – https://www.catholiccharitiessf.org/

Lutheran Social Services – Northern California

Lutheran Social Services offer supportive housing and services, in San Francisco County.

Part of the program is case management for adults living in the supportive housing, and this involves the chronically homeless.

You can contact them to ask if they have any seniors in the program in need of a donation of gently used medical equipment – 415 581 0891

There is a short text about the services in San Francisco on their website page here – https://www.lsssc.org/what-we-do/social-services/

Their address –

Lutheran Social Services of Northern California (San Francisco County Offices)

191 Golden Gate Avenue,

San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone: 415 581 0891

The Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco

The Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, have quite a number of care programs, some of which are for seniors, and may be aware of those who would benefit from donations of home medical equipment.

Phone: 415 449 1200

Address:

Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco

The Miriam Schultz Grunfeld Professional Building

2150 Post Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

International organizations to donate to in San Francisco

MedShare

MedShare is a humanitarian aid organization which distributes medical equipment to those in need around the globe.

You can donate durable medical equipment at the three MedShare distribution centers.

One of the three centers is in California, near to San Francisco –

MedShare

2937 Alvarado ST,

San Leandro, CA 94577

Phone: 510 567 7070

For a donation, you need to go to the MedShare website and fill out the donation form and follow the instructions at the bottom of this page – https://www.medshare.org/donate-medical-supplies/

Donations of new, or gently used durable medical equipment are accepted, but you will need to deliver these yourself to the center.

The San Leandro center is in the Bay Area, 25 min north of Fremont.

VIDA USA

VIDA is a humanitarian aid organization which distributes used medical equipment and supplies to those in need in Latin America.

One of the three centers is in California –

Vida USA

2424 4th St,

Warehouse G @Dwight Way

Berkeley, CA 94710

Phone: 510 655 8432

To make a donation, you can drop off the equipment at the warehouse at the address above.

To find out about the equipment needed, you can look on their website here – https://vidausa.org/medical-supply-donations/

Tax deductions on donations

Don’t forget to keep the receipts for any donations of durable medical equipment that you make to any registered charities if you are hoping to get a tax deduction.

The IRS will require a receipt for the item.