Compassion Threads
A free clothing pop-up and pilot initiative by Urban Compassion Project, at 1420 Broadway in the heart of Downtown Oakland.
Compassion Threads is a pilot initiative expanding upon our mutual aid and resource distribution efforts. We’re expanding in scale, distributing tens of thousands of clothing items and actively seeking even more high-quality donations from community partners and retailers. And in scope, serving a much larger pool of people in need, including students and people dealing with job loss and economic hardship. Everyone deserves to look and feel good!
We opened for a soft launch on August 8, 2026, and we’re now open every Wednesday.
Our goals
A dignified space to shop
Conceived of as more than a clothing distribution center, Compassion Threads creates a welcoming, dignified space where individuals and families experiencing financial hardship and homelessness can shop high-quality donated clothing from retail partners within the Bay Area at no cost.
We believe everyone deserves to feel confident, respected, and empowered through the simple dignity of dressing well. We also hope to use this opportunity to connect visitors with other services tailored to their needs.
Serving the planet
Beyond serving people, the initiative serves the planet. By partnering with retailers to redistribute excess inventory, Compassion Threads helps divert thousands of high-quality clothing items from landfills, advancing sustainability through reuse while ensuring those resources directly benefit the community.
We spend every week clearing waste out of Oakland’s streets, parks, and waterways. This is the same work, further upstream.
A vibrant community gathering
The pop-up also serves as a vibrant community gathering place, bringing together volunteers, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations. With live DJs, great food from Taqueria Azteca, and opportunities to engage with community partners, Compassion Threads transforms giving into a shared community experience.
It brings a ground-floor storefront in Downtown Oakland back to life, in a city we love.
Everyone deserves to look and feel good!
Shopping is free, and open to anyone in Oakland who needs clothes. There’s nothing to pay and nothing to prove.
In the News
Our soft launch, in numbers
We ask everyone who shops with us to fill out an anonymous survey so we know who we’re reaching and how to serve them better. Answering is always optional, and it never affects whether you can shop.
Neighbors Served on Day One
%
Experienced Food Insecurity in the Past Year
Pieces of Clothing Distributed
%
Oakland Residents
%
Experienced Housing Insecurity in the Past Year
Pounds of Clothing Diverted From Landfill
Inside the Shop
Our partners
This vision comes to life in collaboration with some of our wonderful partners that have done so much and been so generous, both with us and with the broader Bay Area community. Together we will bring the space to life with food, music, and real collective love and caring. We hope to add you to our list of collaborators too!
Jeremy Castro & Family
The spark behind Compassion Threads! Jeremy donated 20,000 pieces of clothing, choosing to give back to the community and keep excess inventory out of landfills instead of letting it go to waste.
The City Eats
The City Eats provides regular meals to people in need across Oakland and San Francisco. They’ve supported UCP cleanups for over a year with food, coffee, and music and they’re bringing that same spirit to Compassion Threads.
Taqueria Azteca
Our amazing community partner, generously supplying food for volunteers and homeless neighbors at almost every Saturday cleanup for the past year.
Good People
Good People platforms and celebrates people doing good in the city of Oakland and has been a key collaborator in creating digital media and extending our message to a wider audience.
We hope there's a role sized for you!
We’re building this pop-up with partners across clothing, promotion, and funding. Volunteers, donors, retailers with inventory to spare, and anyone who wants to help get the word out.