Five places in Culver City to bring holiday donations

With the upcoming holiday season, food banks, shelters, and community programs are entering their busiest time of the year. The holidays promise a greater need for nutritious food, warmer clothes, and holiday gifts for kids. This year especially, the need for donations has increased, with many families facing rising food prices, reduced SNAP benefits, and lingering economic effects of COVID-19. Others are still recovering from the wildfires that tore through Los Angeles earlier this year. 

If you’re cleaning your closets, shopping for presents, or organizing the pantry, consider donating to these five places:

Culver Closet

Culver Closet offers free clothing, shoes, toiletries, and school supplies to students and families of the Culver City Unified School District. Established by Adrienne Madrid and Marion Serra in 2012, this program operates with the help of CCUSD staff and community partners.

In preparation for the winter season, they will hold a giveaway event next Thursday, December 18. They are in need of new or gently used warm clothing such as coats, jackets, hoodies, scarves, gloves, and hats for the event. They will also accept gift cards for stores and restaurants such as Target, Ralphs, Chipotle, Subway, and El Pollo Loco.

If you are looking for other ways to get involved, Culver Closet is in need of volunteers to help organize the space and take in new donations. 

Culver Closet is located in the parking lot at Elenda Street and Farragut Drive, in a bungalow with a sign that says ‘Culver Park High School.’

Contact Adrienne Madrid at adriennemadrid@ccusd.org to donate and learn more.

Backpacks for Kids

Other ways to provide support for CCUSD students include Backpacks for Kids, a volunteer-run program that fills backpacks with non-perishable food and snacks each week for students and families with food insecurity. This program began with concern for hungry students who would not have access to meals provided by the school on the weekends. 

This eventually turned into a large effort by the Culver City Council PTA, Culver City Education Foundation, and CCUSD to face this issue. Currently, they serve an average of 200 backpacks a week, with almost 300 students enrolled in the program.

They accept shelf-stable food items – you can reference their Amazon Wishlist here. Their drop off location is Tower Insurance at 4244 Overland Ave., open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To learn more about Backpacks for Kids or donate funds, visit their website.

Grace Diner

Grace Diner, served out of with the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Culver City at 4427 Overland Ave., provides meals for underserved people, including the unhoused, people living out of their cars, senior citizens, veterans with limited budgets, people with developmental disabilities, and working families with children. Their staff include everyone in the community, from students of CCUSD to members of the Culver City Senior Center.

Throughout the pandemic, Grace Diner continued to serve, switching from restaurant-style meals to takeout food and increasing their hours from Monday evenings and serving meals and supplemental groceries up to five days a week. They have returned to their traditional schedule serving on Mondays, Wednesday. and Fridays from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and they serve about 750 meals a week.

To make in-kind donations such as food, beverages, desserts, clothing, flatware, and other items, call (310) 559-1027 and dial 3 for Lisa Skelley. 

To learn more about Grace Diner, visit their website.

Love the City Thrift Store

Love the City, founded by Vintage Faith Church, offers a space for affordable and sustainable shopping. In partnership with the Love the City Community Center, the thrift store directs their profits to the unhoused community, low-income families, and recovering addicts.

In the past, they have held paper bag sales — an opportunity for customers to walk in with a Trader Joe’s sized paper bag, fill it up with necessary items such as clothes and shoes, and pay for it all with $10. They accept and offer clothing, household items, trinkets, books, furniture, and more.

If in need of a pick-up when donating, fill out their request form. For drop off donations, visit their store on 4325 Sepulveda Blvd. during their open hours — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Call (310) 437-0090 beforehand to ensure that someone will be in to receive the donations.

Visit their website to learn more.

Timeless Treasures Ticktocker Thrift Shop

Located in Downtown Culver City, this thrift store offers an alternative to big chains and organizations like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Timeless Treasures is run by the National Charity League, Los Angeles — a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting philanthropic efforts while deepening the bond between mothers and daughters.

The thrift shop is run by members of the league, with proceeds funding their endeavors in supporting charities. Their partnerships include Para Los Ninos, Upward Bound House, Allies for Every Child, and more.

They accept clothes, household items, and furniture. Drop off your donations at 9441 Culver Blvd. Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you would like to donate bulky items, such as large furniture, contact them to make sure they have enough room. You can reach them at timelesstreasures@nclla.org or call (310) 559-8338. 

To learn more about Timeless Treasures Ticktocker Thrift Shop, visit their website.