March 22, 2000
Goodwill teams up with Younkers for annual sale
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Is your closet bulging with unused ties, unneeded shoes or suits that are too small? Are you unable to close your dresser drawers because of accumulated fashion mistakes, changing tastes or scary gifts ("I thought you'd look great in that color.")
Recycle these treasures by bringing them to Younkers and donating them to Goodwill Industries. Younkers is hosting its second Goodwill Sale through March 26, offering to trade your undesired clothes for a $10 gift certificate, redeemable in the store when you buy $50 in merchandise.
By the way, that is $10 per item, so get started on that long-avoided closet cleaning project.
The donations have been pouring in since the Goodwill Sale started last Thursday. In just three days, the store has already redeemed more than 600 coupons and handed out an estimated double that number.
"Sunday alone we filled up four bins and all of us are bringing in stuff, too," said Carrie Coon, human resources manager for Younkers. "This is part of a nationwide effort and it was such as success last time."
Younkers and Goodwill teamed up last October for the first Goodwill Sale and both organizations were so pleased with the results they decided to hold another this month. In fact, they are thinking of holding the promotion twice a year every year.
Locally, Goodwill officials did not count how many pounds of clothing were donated, but they did note that the donation drive spurred the organization to its best month in thrift store sales ever.
Prospective donors should ensure that clothing they donate is clean and wearable, but they need not worry about fashion or salability. In fact, that leisure suit lurking in the back of your closet may one day wind up back in your car - as part of the dashboard.
"None of the clothing we receive that we deem unsalable goes to a landfill," said Ruth Blick, retail director for Goodwill Industries, who noted that the average donor contributes a 30-pound mix of clothing, accessories and household goods.
"We bale it into 1,000 pound bales and send out about 80,000-100,000 pounds of bales each year. We either sell it to Asian countries or to companies that grind it up to make car dashboards."
Increased sales at their thrift stores provides a direct boost to the mission of Goodwill Industries, which is dedicated to helping people with disabilities find jobs and increase their independence. In fact, sales from the four area Goodwill Thrift Stores generate 64 percent of the funding for various goodwill programs. These programs include the Goodwill Inn, Workers on Wheels, vocational programs, job placement services and school to work programs.