Ever thought about how many household goods and clothing end up in landfills? Me neither until it was time to clean up and declutter our home this year. Face it, we hold on to a lot of things. Clothes the kids have outgrown, clothes that have gone out of fashion or that don’t quite fit right anymore. Home décor that for whatever reason, no longer fits our style. I bet you could probably load a truck with all the things you have that you don’t need, want, or use anymore.
So why let it go to a landfill in the first place? We know it’s bad for the environment but millions of pounds of items end up in the trash every year. As long as those items are in good repair and still work (or aren’t full of holes or stains in the case of clothing), why not donate it? If it’s going to be hauled off to the trash, we might as well put it to someone else’s good use and I’m not just talking about thrift shopping.
Goodwill’s “Donate Stuff, Create Jobs” campaign is all about taking what you don’t use and putting it to use for someone else. The proceeds from every item donated to Goodwill supports and helps fund job training programs for people with disabilities and disadvantages.
What do “job training programs” really include? It really encompasses so much more than you or I could imagine. Things that you and I may take advantage of: education, mentoring, training, job preparation such as counseling and resume prep, financial education, job placement services, and childcare. Shew! That’s a lot. Who knew your old husband’s old golf clubs or that old toaster oven and stack of out-grown children’s clothes could benefit in so many ways?
Calculate how much your donation helps your local community by using Goodwill’s Donation Impact Calculator, a feature available within the Goodwill Locator App available for Android and iOS devices and at www.Goodwill.org.
When you donate to Goodwill, you help the environment and build your community in ways that will last long after you’ve lost the love for that pair of old acid washed jeans (you know the ones I’m talking about). Show off your donations and encourage and inspire others to do the same by posting your Goodwill haul photos to Instagram using the hashtag #DoneStuffCreateJobs.
Make a difference, choose to donate.
