Donate Food

Have food to donate? Consider dropping it off at a community free fridge! The fridges are outside and available 24/7. There's one right in front of the pantry, and a few other around Astoria and NYC in general. Food goes fast in the fridges, so this is the best way to make sure food gets to people who need it right away. See this page for a map of local fridges. 

The following items are accepted any time we are open (see the footer at the bottom of this page for our hours).

• Food items that are unopened and unexpired
• Clean grocery bags of all types (reusable, paper, even plastic)
• Clean soup or deli containers (must be new or extremely clean)
• Diapers, baby wipes, formula, and baby food
• Adult diapers and liners
• Menstrual products (pads are preferred over tampons, but we accept both)
• Pet food and cat litter
• Cleaning supplies
• Personal hygiene products (unopened items only)

For large amounts of food, especially frozen or refrigerated food, please email us ahead to ensure we have the space available. 

​If you have an item you’re not sure about, please email us or stop by the pantry to ask. 

If you have items to donate but are unable to bring it to the pantry, email us to discuss the possibility of a pick up. 

Our most commonly requested items are:

• ​Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Cooking oil
• Rice 
• Pasta

• Tomato sauce or canned tomatoes
• Canned fish, especially with pop-top cans
• Snacks for kids of all ages
• Baby wipes and diapers (especially sizes 4/5/6)
• Menstrual pads

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Donate Clothes

The Free Store accepts clothing donations on the last Wednesday of every month from 11:30am-2:30pm and 4:30pm-6:30pm. We are unable to accept clothes on other days, due to the work it takes to sort and fold/hang all of the donations.

• Clothes must be clean and neatly folded when you arrive. We prefer to receive clothing that is currently in season or for the next season. Please bring winter coats in the fall/winter and bathing suits in the spring/summer. 
• Along with clothes, we also accept shoes, accessories, sheets, towels, blankets, and mobility devices in good condition.
• If you are interested in donating clothing but are unable to make it during our monthly donation day, please reach out by email. If you're able to stay and help us fold / hang clothes for an hour, let us know, as that will make it easier for us to accept your clothes off-schedule. We only accept clothes at other times when we don't have a big backlog of clothes to sort. 
• If you are bringing a large donation (more than 2 large bags), please email ahead of time to plan the drop off.
• You can also DM the Free Store on Instagram for more information.

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Donate Books

Because of limited storage space, The Rolling Library is currently closed to general book donations. 
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However, we may be able to accept picture books for young kids, books in languages other than English, books written by people of color, and books about race or police/prison abolition. If you can donate any of those, please contact us first at therollinglibrary@gmail.com.

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Other Items

Sadly we are unable to accept furniture, appliances, or housewares. For exchanging these items, we recommend using some of the tools listed below to find someone in the community who needs your item. You can also try leaving the item outside on a sunny day with a "Free" sign. 

​Free Exchange Sites
​Craigslist Free
Instagram: Stooping in Queens
Facebook: Buy Nothing Astoria (Northwest)
Facebook: Buy Nothing Astoria (Ditmars-Steinway)
Facebook: Buy Nothing Astoria (East) & Woodside (North)
Facebook: Buy Nothing Astoria (South) & Long Island City (North)
Facebook: Buy Nothing Long Island City (West)
Facebook: PreLoved Network of Astoria
FreeCycle Queens

Local Thrift Stores That Accept Donations
​Hour Children
12-10 36th Ave
Monday-Saturday 12pm-5pm
​Non-furniture items only, see more details here

Steinway Thrift Shop
32-36 Steinway St
Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm, Sunday 11am-7pm

We are also unable to accept plastic flatware (though we do accept plastic containers & grocery bags). Many neighbors have reached out wondering what to do with disposable flatware they are given by restaurants. We recommend that you sort them by type and put them in a clean bag or box, and then offer them to a local restaurant or deli for free.

If you have something else you want to donate, you can email us to check if it's something we might accept.