This is a wonderful organization. I love their mission and how incredible and helpful they've been to so many communities. I've had several pickups this past year- when they arrive they are friendly and super reliable too. My only suggestion would be perhaps training on customer service over the phone? I'd say majority of the times I've called to schedule a donation pickup, the same woman has answered or returned my call. I guess I expected more warmth, welcome or professionalism from a representative of such an incredible non-profit. She just sounds irritated to take these calls or answer any questions. I chalked it up to her having a bad day or being really busy in the past, but unfortunately she was pretty cold and rude this morning. If you are considering donating here, do it! Their cause is amazing. Just manage your expectations when you call since you might speak to someone who doesn't sound thrilled lol. I'm sure the recipients of your donations will be absolutely thrilled and grateful :) read more

They are always leaving pick up notices, but never actually show up anymore. Reaching out to them was useless

Have had a couple of unpleasant experiences with this organization. Specifically with a woman who answers the phone. They have missed pick ups in the past - the ones they advertise via yellow card - and had to call to schedule a pick up. FACTS: Last week they were scheduled to come to my city. I called that morning to make sure they had my address because I didn't want the items sitting out unnecessarily for safety reasons (didn't want to attract porch pirates). The woman who answered the phone was quite annoyed that I called and simply said someone would be in our town doing pick ups. She didn't ask to confirm my address. Donations were not picked up. I called the next day and left a message. Unfortunately they were closed due to the holiday weekend. That same person returned my call this morning and I explained what happened. No apologies or acknowledgment of any wrongdoing on their part. She offered to schedule a pick up that I declined. She simply said "Have a good day." read more

Hello. I was hoping to make a donation. However when I called I was informed with a very arrogant attitude that they do not pick up in Oakland. When I checked their locations they are all in primarily white areas. Amazing how deep racial discrimination is..... donations to help!!!!!! . read more

I get their mission, and applaud it. But, don't ask for donations and then refuse to pick them up because it's 4 bags of good used clothing instead of 3. Sorry, but that just doesn't make sense that they refused donations because we actually took it seriously and donated too much. Be warned...they may not pick up your donations, even if they are in good condition, if you have too much. read more

useless, declined to accept small appliances, a small microwave, a printer/scanner/fax combo, no explanation, waste of time

Reliable pickup service. Apprecite the notice they provide when they will be in my area.

I just moved to Moss Beach and had a lot of things to donate. I recieved a card in the mail from PARCA (first time hearing about this organization), decided to donate my items to them instead of Goodwill. I followed the directions on the card, put items out and attached the card. The service was suppose to pickup on Wed. May 21. When I arrived home from work around 4pm nothing had been picked up. I called, the recorded message said pickups would run until 5pm or later on busy days. No pickup on Wed so call the the agency Thursday morning requesting a pickup. The driver arrived around noon. He looked upset and began throwing my items into the back of his truck. Some items were breakable (not sure if they made it). Bottom line, I "Will Not Use" this agency again for any items I need to give away. Your driver was discourteous and thoughtless when tossing my items into the truck. I hope they made it to you distribution center. One last comment, this organization seems to go far and above to help folks in need. I commend for this, also the young women I spoke to in the distribution office was very nice and helpful. 2 star rating for service/ 5 star for organization LYee read more

I donated a lot of our family items: clothes, cookware, household items... I put them on my driveway and PARCA driver came to pick them up, this is really appreciate it, let alone the good will that is going for.. Thanks a million PARCA! read more

THE WORST. Specifically the manager JOEL...specifically the cowardly woman who answers the phone who won't give her name and hides behind the phone, and refuses to give an inkling of helpful information....specifically the project manager DAVID HERNANDEZ who will not answer an email. If you make an appointment via the website, they're system does not give you a confirmation, and how dare you try to contact them to confirm if the pick up is scheduled. JOEL, who I had to contact d/t the blatant rudeness and indifference of his staff assured me my pick up was confirmed. NO ONE EVER CAME. I'm sure they don't care...I'm sure this review means nothing to them...just want to call them out by name. Believe all the poor reviews and save your valuable time (which they treat as otherwise) and frustration. Donate to others who don't act as if they're doing you a favor. read more

You don't have to wait for the yellow card to make a donation. Schedule a pick up day via their website. The waiting time is about 2 weeks or so. Then, they come with the truck and take items which are ready for transfer: boxed or bagged. Since I haven't had a yellow card, I just wrote "PARCA" on the pice of paper with a sharpie. They also leave a tax form for you to fill in case you need it. At this time, they are accepting up to 4 boxes or bags per household. The accepted list of items can be found on their website as well. I had a great experience with PARCA so far. Do not let old reviews to discourage you. Lots of organizations struggle through pandemic times. It seems PARCA is doing a good service. Hopefully they will continue to provide it for this amazing community and support those in need. read more

This "foundation" is really something. TLDR: I would not trust this "foundation" as they hire rude and incompetent people to run their business. It's not worth taking your time to sort through things for them when they lie and don't follow through on picking up when they say they will. Then you're stuck with disposing of all your belongings. For the latest pickup in our neighborhood (Wed. Nov. 6), we took several hours out of our day to clean our garage to donate to this foundation. There was A LOT of stuff in front of our house and there is no way their driver would miss it. We were home at the time of pickup and saw the truck pass by without stopping at our house. We called immediately and the person who answered said they would be back that same day to pick it up by 5PM. No one came. We called the next day (Nov. 7) and they told us the same thing that someone would come by 5PM. No one came. We called again on Nov. 8th and the lady who answered said the driver said he came and he didn't see anything and probably left a red flyer on our door to say they came. That was a COMPLETE lie, there was no red flyer and no way he could have missed all the stuff we put out. Photo attached to prove the driver was a liar. The lady was incredibly rude and not apologetic at all and kept cutting us off while we were trying to explain the situation to try to dismiss what we were saying and to make an appointment 2.5 weeks out instead. Frustrated we hung up.  Despite receiving horrible service, we still wanted to donate to them anyway and tried to make an appointment for pickup online. And then I received an email that they had the audacity to put us on their "do not service" list. I see that we aren't the first family that has encountered this BS. What a horrible disservice you've done to the developmental disability community and their families. read more

PARCA - Driver lied and said they didn't see anything in front of our house. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Burlingame, California

If you're thinking of making a donation, don't let the older reviews dissuade you! We just completed a pickup with PARCA and it couldn't have been better. I contacted PARCA a few weeks ago about donating some household items, and was assigned a pickup date about 2 weeks out. They emailed me the day before to confirm the pickup. On the morning of, they were there before 9am. All our items were new or like new and neatly bagged, labeled, and on the list of accepted items. The driver quickly and neatly loaded them into the truck. Thanks, PARCA, for helping our unused items enjoy a second life for a good cause! read more

I've always had a good experience with donating to parca. They definitely prefer clothing so I've shifted to that over time. I love that they pick up! read more

My parents introduced me to PARCA and I have been totally satisfied with their service. Whether talking directly with them or online, the service is always spot on. They care about what you care about and treat your items the same way. Whenever you request their service, they are dependable, reliable and friendly. They are easy to do business with and you can't put a price on excellent customer service! read more

This is the second time I've attempted to donate to PARCA by leaving my items -- great conditions -- at the driveway per instructions on the yellow card. In both instances, I was disappointed to see my donation still sitting on the driveway. read more

I wish I'd read the reviews before hauling all my donations out to the curb, per their yellow postcard directions for a specific date. Since the items had been out since 7:30 AM, I was a little concerned by 12:30 PM and no trucks in sight - so I called PARCA only to deal with a woman who told me multiple times "You have to call us for specific pickups." So - I guess I was supposed to call despite the fact that their card didn't mention that. "We'll be in your neighborhood on ____, etc." PARCA seems to be a bit disorganized and not too good with the customer service side of things. The 3 star rating is because they actually did show up in the afternoon (I think only because I called) and they took everything except a little toaster oven. I was so happy they took my large TV which I'd tagged as electronic waste. (PARCA is an approved collector of electronic waste.) So - all in all a fairly positive experience. They got some nice clothing in good condition and I got rid of 1 big TV set. read more

My parents are moving to an independent living community from a house in which they've lived for 49 years. The house is large -- 3,000 square feet -- and has a sizeable basement. Their apartment in the new facility is only 1,100 square feet, so you can imagine the job it was to pare down their possessions. My parents scheduled a PARCA pickup for Thursday morning. They specified that all the item must be in our driveway by 8am. On Wednesday/Thursday, I stayed up all night clearing out the basement and the rest of the house, separating the items to be discarded from the donation items. When I was finally finished at 3:30am, I had an enormous pile of things for PARCA to pick up. I went to work with only an hour's sleep, looking forward to seeing the driveway empty when I returned. However, when I returned to the house at 6pm, everything was still there. I called PARCA and left an irate message, but the office was closed. I had to get everything out of the driveway immediately as the new owners are taking possession on Monday, so 1-800-GOT-JUNK (a service I can highly recommend) had to send an extra truck to accommodate all of the extra items. It cost us an additional $500 + to dispose of and added even more stress to a time that has been unbelievably stressful already. Luckily, the 1-800-GOT-JUNK people, unlike PARCA, are reliable and bailed me out of this mess. PARCA hasn't called to explain what happened despite my messages -- whether their truck broke down, the driver forgot our appointment, etc. My parents have given many items to them in the past and certainly deserve better than this. Needless to say, we won't be giving any future donations to PARCA. Avoid this organization like the plague. If this how seriously they take their donors, maybe it's better that other charitable organizations receive the benefits of your generosity. read more

donation pick up service we donate to PARCA every year, never had a problem. This year there was a shut down due to Covid 19 but it appears they are up and running again. They provide independent living housing for people with developmental disabilities I reviewed their most recent tax return, Form 990, and all appears normal. 76% of revenue went to program expenses, very good. Only 1 key employee on payroll, all other executives are volunteers, excellent https://parca.org/ "PARCA, Partners & Advocates for Remarkable Children & Adults, has been enriching the lives of people with developmental disabilities since 1952. Our programs are designed to create a feeling of extended family to help people live as independently as possible and enjoy all that life has to offer. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/941650851 PARCA CONTINUES TO PROVIDE RESPITE SERVICES, CHILD CARE SERVICES AND INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES. www.parca.org | 800 AIRPORT BLVD STE 320 Burlingame CA 94010-1919 Partners and Advocates for Remarkable Children and Adults is headquartered in Burlingame, CA, and is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 94-1650851. Donations are tax-deductible. The IRS NTEE classification code is P82, Developmentally Disabled Centers, Services within the Human Services - Multipurpose and Other category. The IRS ruling year for tax exemption was 1985. (Source: IRS Business Master File and Form 990) read more

I contacted them for pickup of three boxes of clothing. They said it had to be outside for pickup on the GROUND floor. Being on the third floor condo with elevators they would not do it, also the boxes has to be for one person to pick up. Not at all what I remembered when I lived across the street from the Parca house on Palm Drive in burlingame. Rude and disrespectful. read more

These people were supposed to pick up on 11/12/2019 and I had it all ready, as a matter of fact it's still outside. I made a request online, confirmation that they will pick up and printed the labels for them and even placed a plastic tarp over the items so no one and elements would disturb it. I'm highly disappointed in this service and I'm not sure about their organization either. read more

Left a box for pick up; the driver just took the postcard/receipt and left the entire box. Same with the neighbors down the street.

Great mission but poor execution. My stuff was actually picked up but no receipt was left (looks like this is an ongoing issue for PARCA). I have inquired 3 times with absolutely no help. I finally got a name, i believe it was David H. at the Burlingame location - sent him a personal email and he will not respond. Seriously, how hard is it to respond to the people that donate to your organization?!?! Never again. read more

So after multiple phone calls with Parca, I am no less upset. I was first told that the driver had not yet been on my street; when I pointed out that they left a Parca card, they contacted the driver and got that straightened out. I was then told that the items the driver had left were 'not in reusable condition'. Many of those items were brand new. I've included some of those items in this post so that you can see the condition of them and judge for yourselves. If this were somewhere like St. Vincent dePaul or Goodwill, where they take the items and resell them for a nominal fee, I don't think I'd be so upset. This place is taking straight donations; when I put awesome stuff out that meets all the parameters, I expect them to be picked up, not insulted. A hobby horse, CD racks, an Indian silk photo album, and anti-tip bowls for kids that work amazingly well. There was more, but these are a few of them deemed 'unusable'. Come on now, guys. read more

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I received a Parca scheduled pick up in my neighborhood for 2/21/18 I had my donations out on the curb by 8 am and by 11:30 am I decided to call Parca and notified them no one has come by for the donations and I wanted to be sure it was going to be picked up, the guy said he would make sure the driver goes by before 5 pm no pick up was made. I called on 2/22/18 and again the guy said someone will come by 5 pm finally they came by but cherry pick what they wanted and left everything else behind. On the Parca mailer, it said they took TV's smaller that 28 inches, I left a 25 inch TV and a box of books which they left behind. Parca is unreliable for one thing and does not pick up what they advertise on their mailer. Save yourself some time and headache, don't use Parca for donations. read more

Very disappointed in PARCA. If I can give zero stars I definitely would. PARCA, please review who you hire or who you choose for volunteers to represent your company. I always believe the most important people in any organization are the gate keepers and can make or break a company. People take the time out of their busy schedules to sort and donate to go to good causes. We called PARCA to be sure to let them know we had donations out to be picked up, but the truck missed us and just past by without picking up the donation. My son in law notice so he called them to be sure they make their way back, they said they would make it back before 5pm. No one showed up, we called again the next morning and they said they would be sure they would pick it up before 5pm the second day. Well, the truck missed and past us by again. We called and they said they didn't see the items left out, mind you we left enough out so it couldn't be missed. My daughter called again for the fourth time the third day and the person on the phone was unhelpful, rude and not helpful in anyway. They said it would be two weeks before they could make the pick up. We would now have to bring everything back then bring it all out again, this is unprofessional and unacceptable! They had the audacity to put us on a no future pickup list. I have personally worked with PARCA for years and it is very unfortunate that donations will not go for the needed, what a shame. read more

I recently requested a pickup of a donation to Parc a. They have some very negative feedback on their website, but I do not agree with the harsh comments. My experience was very smooth and they came at the arranged time, and there were no problems at all. You can depend on them and their great service! read more

On 812/19 I scheduled an appointment for PARCA to pick up some donations. I was given a pick up date of 9/6/19. I emailed a confirmation of that date immediately that same day. In my email I asked a question about the instructions (i.e., do I leave bags of items on end of my driveway with a "PARCA" sign?). They did not reply, but since I've seen some neighbors do this, I assumed that was right. I emailed and phoned PARCA on 9/5/19 just to be sure of what my instructions were. To my surprise, they said they had NO pickup appointment for me. I forwarded their original schedule email as well as my confirmation reply. No good. So I put the stuff in the car and drove it to a Goodwill drop off location. I will not be doing business with PARCA again and I will not recommend to anyone that they use PARCA. read more

Waste of time. They scheduled pick up on 2/14/17 . Never picked up. Contacted parca and was told that they 'll pick it up on 2/15/17 . Nothing. Called today with a promise of the pick up on 3/1/17. I guess parca don't need donations... read more

Have scheduled many pickups over the years and always had a great experience. I can just leave a bag by the door and PARCA always leaves receipts. It feels good that the money goes to help those with developmental disabilities in our community. read more

I've donated successfully to Parca only once before, using their yellow cards you receive in the mailbox and then leaving your items out in front of your house. However, since that one time, I've tried multiple times and each time nothing is picked up, same goes for my neighbors! It's not that the items are in bad condition, it's that they just don't come by to pick things up! What's the point of soliciting for donations if you're not going to pick them up?! I've given up trying and now just go to St Vincent DePaul! As an avid cyclist, I know Parca also sponsors the Devil's Slide bike ride each year to support developmentally disabled adults, and it was because of this I always like supporting them. But no more! Either start fulfilling your obligations to pick up your donations or lose another contributor. read more

I appreciate PARCA picking up bags every month. But last month I watched the driver stand back and heave bags as hard as he could into the truck. I do wrap fragile items carefully, BUT doubt if they survived his throwing of bags. Possibly the truck was quite full, but a driver needs to use some caution upon loading bags that need a little TLC! read more

So impressed with Parca's mission to help local people with developmental disabilities. Have called twice and been able to easily schedule a pickup. Greatest thing is that they take almost anything from old tv's to clothes. I will continue to call them whenever I get to organizing! read more

Want to get rid of clothes and electronics without the hassle of dropping off? These guys are super responsive plus it goes to a really great cause. A win all around. Will always call them to clean out my kids' closets. read more

NO STARS is my rating! Not impressed at all. I dared to try and donate to these people for a second time. My first experience I'd left a large donation out at the end of the driveway with the yellow tag on as indicated. All items were accepted per their flyer and the items were all in good condition. What did they do? They sifted through it and left a mess on my driveway. A soggy mess at that since it was raining. So today I decided to give them another chance. And again they left all acceptable and usable items behind after sifting through it. They did however take the bag of clothes of which some still had tags. Figures. This place is essentially wanting you to donate brand new items for free and to allow them to pick out what they want. That's not how it works folks sorry. This isn't a garage sale. I emailed them and made it clear I was upset and would no longer donate to them and would go out of my way to discourage friends, family and anyone else I come into contact with from donating. I'm not surprised at seeing that any other ratings they've received have been poor. They can only blame themselves as they are disadvantaging those who benefit from these donations. And with social media, word travels quick. I'd rather put my stuff on freecycle or craigslist. There are too many other choices for organizations to donate to out there or to give away to for an organization to be able to conduct business in such a poor manner. Never again PARCA! read more