This thrift shop is one of the Peninsula's hidden gems! It used to be called Pick of the Litter;…read morediscovered this when I lived in Burlingame years ago. So glad they're still around! They have a good selection of kitchenware, china, glassware, crystal stemware, etc. Got some champagne glasses for myself which I loved at first sight. There were pre-loved clothes that looked great too. And when you shop, you're helping the local Humane Society.

I have been a few times since Pick of the Litter became Treasure Paws and each time is so much fun…read more There are truly ALWAYS new gems to find. Oliver is great to chat with and passionate. I love that each sale helps shelter animals, too.

Over a long span, my family & I have adopted 3 cats from 9 lives and enjoyed them all ; ) One is…read morestill with us. I was at the new location recently after my oldest passed. It's very nice and so was the volunteer that helped me. I explained I had an older cat and got advice. I adopted a male cat that just didn't work out sadly w/ my other cat ~ I had to bring him back sadly and there was no judgment at all. I appreciated that, as I already was super sad about it. I will continue to donate to this org.

I brought in a tom stray cat. He is super sweet. We finally caught him. I had an appointment to get…read morethe neutering done and all his shots up to date. They put some ointment on his face to heal looks like he got into a fight with some other animal. His face looks like it is healing nicely. The staff were very friendly. Found out he was around 10 years old. Very accommodating.

We love this place. Always clean, neat, have toys for kids to play. My daughter goes to preballet…read moreclass there and we love it. Easy to register, affordable and the teacher is good.

Kids grow fast, and as they do, clutter accumulates. They've outgrown some clothing and now you…read moreneed that drawer or closet space for the stuff that fits. Perhaps you have a box of new diapers you never got to use. I found a place where you can bring all this stuff for a tax-deductible donation (totally convenient since the two Peninsula locations listed below are available for drop-off 24/7). I like that it's a non-religious organization, and everything goes directly to homeless families, in effort to support them to become self-sufficient again This is a great place to donate clothing (for men, women, and children), diapers, bedding, towels, toys, and other items: Drop-off locations: 325 Villa Terrace San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 340-8814 1580 Maple St. Redwood City, CA 94063 (650) 364-1150 Office number: (650) 685-5880 They are especially excited to receive new diapers and wipes. I know we've got to go through our garage and make another run to this place. Time to clean out those closets!

I tried to drop off three boxes of men's and women's clothing to the First Step for Families…read morefacility at 325 Villa Terrace in San Mateo. When I called beforehand to make sure that they were accepting donations, the woman said that the "only accepted current fashionable donations, as they had mostly young women" there. Because I was donating mostly work dresses, I figured that was OK. The second woman who was actually accepting donations (different voice than on the phone) opened my first box to inspect it. She went through item-by-item and rejected two dresses and one blouse. She opened the box labeled as men's items, saw the suit on the top and said, "No. We only have young men here" and rejected the entire box. By then, I was upset enough not to bother to tell her that there were many almost new jackets and sweatshirts beneath. She opened the third box, saw there were baseball caps on the top and said "We only take new caps." Without looking at the contents of the rest of the box (mostly almost new casual mens and women's tops and sweaters), she rejected the box in whole. I took the other two boxes back to my car, and returned to give her three of the baseball caps which had never been worn. When I asked for a receipt, she said "You only gave 12 dresses." I told her that I still wanted a receipt the the donation. She had me scan the QR code, then said (out of the blue), "Don't enter $500." Talk about a TERRIBLE experience! I'll NEVER again donate to this organization. They missed out on a lot today, and deserve to continue to miss out when they malign strangers who are trying to donate to help their community

I am incredibly grateful for the care my mother received while she was on mission hospice. During…read moresuch a difficult and emotional time for our family, the hospice team treated her with compassion, dignity, patience, and genuine kindness. They were not only attentive to her comfort and symptoms, but they also took the time to support our family, answer our questions, and help us understand what to expect. Their presence brought reassurance during moments that were very hard for us. What stood out most was the humanity of the care. My mother was treated as a person, not simply as a patient. The nurses and hospice staff were respectful, responsive, and compassionate, and we always felt that her comfort and dignity were their priority. Hospice care is something no family ever hopes to need, but when the time came, I was very thankful that my mother was surrounded by people who cared for her with such tenderness and professionalism. I will always be grateful to the entire team for the care they provided to my mother and the support they gave our family.

Mission Hospice has helped my family through a very difficult time and we are forever grateful to…read morethem. My mother-in-law was able to have great care and we didn't have to worry so much. If you are ever looking for a place where your family can spend their days in comfort, please pick Mission Hospice.

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is one of our preferred charities. Lets face it, there were people…read morealready hurting before COVID hit and now that's all the more exacerbated. When it comes to food security or a lack thereof, you need a charity that literally helps put food on peoples table. They provide food for those that would otherwise have to do without. They also take fruits and vegetables (You must call ahead and set it up) along with the more typical donations. In addition you can also volunteer to help sort and setup. They have a website to help direct you. However, it is very popular and sometimes days are already filled up. As with all charities they need our help. How can you help? 1) Food donations. Every bit helps 2) Volunteer to help out 3) Cash is king. Consider a cash donation so they can pay for operations and buy essential items that they don't get donated. I mean how many cans of pumpkin filling can you make someone eat right?

I have incurable cancer. I have been through chemo and have lingering serious side effects so…read moregetting to a food pantry is hard not to mention. I don't have a car. I found Second Harvest Food Bank delivers food to the door. So I applied and they have been delivering to my door when they don't send lazy delivery drivers that leave my food outside my apartment building for everyone to get, or in the lobby or in the mail room to leave my food to rot. Even if I could go to the lobby or mail room, I can't lift my box and bring it up five floors. Not to mention, I don't get notification that the food box has even been delivered so I don't know if it's been delivered to the lobby, mail room, or left outside. I have called several times explaining I am not getting my food boxes, even though they send out another food box 5 days later, I shouldn't have to wait five extra days for food. Not to mention 7 out of 10 times I get my box it's loaded with rotten fruit and vegetables full of mold. To which by the way I am highly allergic to food mold. I have called. I have spoke to supervisors. I have spoken to several different people at Second Harvest Food Bank. They apologize. Which I appreciate, but that doesn't help me with my food. They said if you don't want to receive moldy fruit and vegetables come and pick up the box yourself. Nice I would if I could. I'm sure others with my health issues and my age would attest to the fact that we would do a lot of things if we were physically capable of doing it. So apologies fall on deaf ears because I still don't receive my food boxes when I should and like I said half the time the food is rotten full of mold. Shaking my head because I see the commercials and I see people donating to which I appreciate. I see people in their cars in line getting all this beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables not to mention holiday boxes to which I don't receive a holiday box I don't get anything to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving no turkey, no Christmas box just beans and rice is what people who get their food delivered get along with moldy fruit and vegetables. I guess that is Second Harvest Food Bank's way of saying happy holidays. You don't get a holiday box you don't need to celebrate a holiday.

A person I assisted called CORA to register for the Safe At Home Program. She left a message for…read morethe lady in charge of this program at CORA. The lady in charge returned her call, made an appointment with her. She never heard from the lady at CORA on the day of the appointment nor did the lady follow up after the missed appointment. Because the applicant could not get the help she needed it caused a great loss to her. Folks this is what you get from CORA which is still in my opinion unreliable, biased and unprofessional. They will be reported to the State of California and other funding sources

I reached out to this organization to get help leaving a partner after being stabbed and harassed…read more After 11 attempts to both their office and hotline I finally got a live person on their hotline. She was clearly drunk and or intoxicated. After trying to explain my situation, she cut me off and told me to go home. AFTER BEING STABBED!! As the only organization in my area to call, I am appalled. Leadership at CORA. You ought to be ashamed at the lack of training and compassion of your staff

The Worker Resource Center provides an alternative location for temporary laborers and potential…read moreemployers to meet for work. Managed by Samaritan House and funded by the City of San Mateo, the Worker Resource Center opened in 2003 with the goal of providing a safe place for employers and employees to meet. Each day, 100-140 workers register at the center. Of the workers who utilize the center each day approximately 21% are being employed daily. To date, over 1,900 workers have enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, which are offered while they wait between jobs. Clients also receive counseling by a Samaritan House case worker. Call the number listed in info to hire help. Or for more info about the program. http://www.samaritanhouse.com/new/programs/worker_resources.shtml

Temple is great with new Management. Vishvamji is a great temple with lot of knowledge. His…read morededication for temple will make temple home for many peninsula families. Looking forward for celebrating all festival and auspicious days in our neighborhood temple.

I'm an avid thrifter and this is one of the better thrift stores I've come across. Everything is…read morepretty reasonably priced for what it is, especially compared to Goodwill and other thrifts. They definitely do price certain items a little higher (name brands, new with tags, etc.) but it's not as terrible as most other places, and still a place I'd recommend to find some treasures on a budget. The store is clean and nicely organized. I went on a Thursday afternoon so it wasn't too busy and not super loud/hectic. Can't speak for weekends or other popular times. The store is predominantly womens' clothes. They have a good variety in brands, prices, and types of clothing. They have a good mix of vintage and more "modern, trendy" brands and styles. The child and men's section is a little on the smaller side, so if you're primarily looking for that, you won't have as much luck. Though I am on the younger side, I do enjoy how this store doesn't try to cater to my age group or "trends", so they attract a more considerate customer base in my opinion. I didn't interact with the employees aside from checkout but the woman was very nice :)

They don't return calls. I had asked them to contact me to get permission to park my motorhome in…read moretheir lot while attending my 50th high school reunion next door at the Italian American social club as I'm traveling from LA area. No response whatsoever.