The Hillcrest chapter of the national Assistance League nonprofit operates its philanthropic thrift store at 108 University Ave, with donation proceeds funding Operation School Bell and other member-volunteer programs for San Diego children and families in need. Donated apparel, housewares, furniture and books move through the sales floor on a charity-thrift model that parallels the mission-driven operation at Father Joe's Villages Thrift Store & Donation Center - Hillcrest. Receiving hours accept clothing donations, small furniture pieces, housewares, decor and books from Hillcrest, Bankers Hill and Uptown households downsizing or estate-clearing. Sales proceeds fund the chapter's Operation School Bell program providing new school clothing and supplies to under-resourced San Diego students, a model distinct from the HIV/AIDS-services funding behind Out of the Closet - San Diego. Volunteer-run operations keep overhead low so donation revenue moves directly into student outfitting programs, classroom reader books and crisis-response family kits. Large estate donations — full closets, furniture suites, kitchen inventories and book libraries — get pickup coordination, volunteer sorting and resale staging that translate whole-household clearances into funded school uniforms for hundreds of San Diego students.