Nonprofit groups soon will be able to go on a shopping spree.

The Greater Pittsburgh Distribution Center in Braddock will hold an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and expects to be operating within a month. The center, a spin-off of the nearby Pittsburgh Family Development, Inc., allows nonprofit groups to shop for donated furniture, clothing, building material and other supplies.

"One of the reasons we set it up is because you hear of nonprofits unable to fulfill their missions because they lack the resources and sometimes the financial assistance," said Carmen Bell, founder of the center and Pittsburgh Family Development. "By being able to provide these resources, it allows them to fulfill their missions."

The center serves about 50 nonprofit groups that pay annual membership and handling fees.

Membership this first year will be offered at 50 percent off, ranging from $150 to $1,000 a year, based on budget size. The freight fee will vary, depending on the products, and will help pay the center's shipping costs, which can be at least $5,000.

"Nonprofits frequently go to businesses and look for in-kind material," said Scott B. Leff, associate director the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University. "So having a centralized mechanism to formalize that process could be very valuable."

Leff is not affiliated with the center, which is sponsored by The Home Depot and affiliated with Gifts in Kind International, an Alexandria, Va.-based group that helps link nonprofit groups with businesses that want to provide material.

Melissa Trumpower, spokeswoman for Gifts in Kind, said the program keeps products out of landfills and reduces fuel use for unwanted products that ordinarily would be shipped out of the community.

"It's extending the life of the product," she said. "It makes a lot of sense to keep it in the community."

Officials at The Home Depot could not be reached for comment.

The Mel Blount Youth Home in Claysville is one nonprofit that will use the center.

TiAnda Blount, the founder's wife and executive vice president of the home, said it may buy carpeting, bathroom fixtures, mirrors, tiles and tools.

"It's a tremendous help for nonprofit organizations," she said. "It's a win-win situation for everyone."

Bell said the center will select nine families a year whose homes will be improved.

"I believe we're servants, and our job is to serve people in the manner of love," he said.