The Swap Shop

The Swap Shop is a kids’ clothing exchange where all families can “shop,” free of charge. We invite anyone who participates in our Imago Dei Community to use The Swap Shop to shop for their family or for people they are in relationship with outside the church. This space is a tangible way for us to live out our core practices of hospitality, generosity, and vocation.

Our Core Practices Lived Out:

  • Hospitality

    We recognize God’s concern for the whole person. Our physical needs matter just as much as our spiritual needs. Every kiddo deserves the dignity afforded by wearing clothes in good condition that fit, and they like!

  • Generosity

    The Swap Shop is for people of all socio-economic situations. To families that cannot afford to buy needed clothes, we practice generosity by creating a stigma-free space to meet this basic need, and to meet it generously.  To families with financial security, we practice generosity by choosing to “spend less and give more” (our Advent mantra) all throughout the year. By choosing to look here first for our kids’ clothes, we resist consumer culture, freeing us to think more creatively about how we use our money to bless the world around us.

  • Vocation

    Stewardship as Vocation: We recognize our commission in Genesis 1 to join God in ruling over his creation. Our earth’s resources are limited. When we seriously consider our vocation of stewardship, we must reckon with issues of sustainability. The Swap Shop invites us to push into vocation by reducing our consumer demand for new threads, reusing, then recycling threads when they’ve become too worn to continue reusing.

Click here to volunteer!

FAQ

  • The Swap Shop has two locations: The Lil’ Swap Shop (baby clothes 0-18 mos) is in the bottom level of the sanctuary, next to the 0’s and 1’s room. The Swap Shop (toddler/ kids’ clothes 24mos - 16years) is in the 3rd floor of the Wagner building, next to the 4’s and 5’s room.

  • The Swap Shop is open during our Sunday morning gatherings. For urgent needs outside of Sunday mornings, contact Imago staff at info@idcpdx.com or 503-231-5096.

  • Please sort clothes according to size. Once in the Swap Shop, add your items to the appropriate section, grabbing a hanger if needed. If you aren’t sure, you can add your items to the “Drop” area. Both the Swap Shop and the Lil’ Swap Shop have designated areas for dropping off donations. *These areas are volunteer run, so we invite anyone using them to take ownership by placing as many of your own items out as you can. Ideally this space is self-sufficient and doesn’t even need volunteers!

  • Nope! We have an abundance of items in each Swap Shop, so you are always invited to take what you need regardless of what you may (or may not) have to donate.

  • Any clothes or shoes for ages 0-16! We’ll take it all! Take a look inside the Swap Shop for a detailed list. No toys due to space limitations (Fidgets, board books, and puzzles accepted).

  • Good. Clothes do not need to look new. As a general rule, if you would choose to wear it, then donate it! If it looks worn enough that you wouldn’t wear it or dress your child in it, please recycle it.

  • Larger items like furniture can be posted here, alongside information about the item + your contact info. Anything offered here must be free. This is not a space to sell items.