Media Kit/Get Involved

What can I do for Free Geek?
Well, we're glad you asked! (Or at least, that you're reading this page!)

Free Geek does lots of good things, but that's only possible with the help of countless individuals and organizations. So please help! We'll make it worth your while where we can. Here are the three major ways you can contribute to Free Geek:

Volunteer
Come spend some time with us! We'll show you how to help us out…no experience necessary.

We have two programs for new volunteers: Adoption and Build.

Adoption is for people who want to earn their own computer, by helping us out with simple tasks. After 24 hours of work, on whatever schedule works for you, you can take a FreekBox computer home. You'll do things like sort parts, greet hardware donators, or sweep the floor. Easy stuff. No pocket-protector required.

In the Build program, you'll learn to build a FreekBox – a Linux-based computer composed of discarded parts. Build takes more work than Adoption, but you'll learn a whole lot about computers in the process. (And you don't need experience for this program either, just a desire to learn.) Folks with high-tech experience might complete Build in 60 hours; those working with computers might need 100 hours or more. Proceed at your own pace, and soak up as much knowledge as you'd like. After you've built 5 computers, you get to build your own and take it home. And you'll have a new eye-catching item to add to your résumé, too!

Of course, there are occasional volunteers whose interests or experience don't quite match these programs. If you have a different idea, please contact Shawn Furst, our volunteer coordinator. She'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Regardless of what you'd like to do to help out, your first step is to take a tour, and get a better idea what we do with all those computers. Tours are offered every Tuesday through Saturday at both noon and 6pm.

drop off computer equipment
Is your garage - or your company's storage room - cluttered up with unused computer equipment? Bring it on down! We'll find a way to put it to use, if possible. We're pretty resourceful. If it's too old or broken for that, we'll make sure it's disposed of in an environment-friendly way.

You'll get a receipt for your donation, and since we're a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it's tax-deductible.

We do charge $10 for every monitor you drop off (that's the thing that looks like a TV), whether or not it's in working condition. (Monitors have a lot of lead in them, and are expensive to dispose of safely.)

If you have a donation of more than 100 pieces of equipment, please give us a call at (503)232-9350 to let us know you're coming.

donate money
It's true, even with all this free stuff and free labor, we still have to pay rent, a few staff salaries, and other expenses. All monetary contributions - whether accompanying a hardware donation, or just out of the blue - is greatly appreciated. Donations are tax-deductible.

(paypal link, address, whatever. envelope?)

misc

 * donate your company's specialty (furniture, tech books, massages).
 * buy stuff at the thrift store. (some sample prices)

basic info

 * hours (thrift store, volunteer, etc)
 * tour times
 * phone number, email addy, web addy, street addy
 * volunteer coordinator:

jokeydude

 * cool! how can i help?

code word:

 * FreekBox