Saturday, June 13, 2020 – Donations of Used Household Goods and Clothing

Mary Reed
Jun 13, 2020
8 min read

I walk down a street where used items are piled on the curb in front of a house. A lot of people are getting rid of stuff they don’t need these days. There is plenty of time to go through closets, attics, garages, junk rooms, etc. And many charities will pick up items at your home — another perk during the pandemic when you should be staying inside. All you have to do is shove things out the front door, and someone else will take care of their removal. Some charities will only pick up specific things like cars or furniture. Food banks may require a certain quantity of canned goods before they will pick up. Others may charge a fee for pickup.

If you go to http://www.donationtown.org and enter your zip code, it will display charities in your areas that will pick up. When I tried it for my zip code, it did not show Habitat for Humanity, Jewish Family Services or Goodwill. There is a note on the website that Goodwill is not in the database yet.

Goodwill Industries

According to Wikipedia, in 1902 the Rev. Edgar J. Helms of Morgan Methodist Chapel in Boston started Goodwill as part of his ministry. He and his congregation collected used household goods and clothing being discarded in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired the unemployed or impoverished to mend and repair them. The products were then redistributed to those in need or were given to the needy people who helped repair them.

In 1915, Helms hosted a visit to Morgan Memorial by representatives of a workshop mission in Brooklyn, New York, and they learned about the innovative programs and the operating techniques of the "Morgan Memorial Cooperative Industries and Stores Inc." He was subsequently invited to visit in New York. Out of these exchanges came Brooklyn's willingness to adopt and adapt the Morgan Memorial way of doing things, while Helms was persuaded that Brooklyn's name for its workshop, "Goodwill Industries," was preferable to the Morgan Memorial name. Thus was officially born Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, and that — plus Brooklyn's interest and ties — became the foundation on which Goodwill Industries was to be built as an international movement.

Today, Goodwill has become an international nonprofit that takes in more than $4.8 billion in annual revenue and provides more than 300,000 people with job training and community services each year. Helms described Goodwill as an "industrial program as well as a social service enterprise." Charity Watch rates Goodwill Industries an "A."

Operations

In 1999, over 84 million pounds of used goods were donated to the stores in Portland, Oregon, part of the Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette. Around the same year, Goodwill launched the first nonprofit Internet auction site in the United States. By 2006, Goodwill Industries International had a network of 207 member organizations in the United States, Canada and 23 other countries. As of July 2011, there are 164 full Goodwill members in the United States and Canada. These are each independent social enterprises that operate their own regional Goodwill retail stores and job training programs. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, Boston, is the enterprise operated in Boston, where Goodwill was founded.

The clothing and household goods donated to Goodwill are sold in more than 3,200 Goodwill retail stores, on its Internet auction site shopgoodwill.com, as well on eBay by a number of its regional stores. Most of the items on shopgoodwill.com are items that are considered collectible or more valuable. Each regional store will ship out what they deem valuable so that the items will be purchased for fair market value. Antiques, collectibles, jewelry, comic books, furniture, and even automobiles are found on this website. The revenues fund job training and other services to prepare people for job success. Examples of Goodwill's presence on eBay are Goodwill Industries of Maine, Seattle, San Francisco, and many other locations. Goodwill locations that operate on eBay research donated items for higher profit than could be brought in-store, and instead list those items on eBay for auction.

In 2010, through their involvement in Goodwill's programs, more than 170,000 people were placed into employment. They earned $2.7 billion in salaries and wages, and as tax-paying citizens, they contributed to the community. Goodwill also generates income to help businesses and the federal government fill gaps caused by labor shortages, time constraints and limited space or equipment. Local Goodwill branches train and employ contract workers to fill outsourced needs for document management, assembly, mailing, custodial work, grounds keeping and more. Goodwill claims that more than 84 percent of its total revenue is used to fund education and career services and other critical community programs. Also in 2010, Goodwill provided people with training careers in industries such as banking, IT and health care, as well as offering English-language training, education, transportation and child care services.

When merchandise cannot be sold at a normal Goodwill store, it is taken to a Goodwill Outlet or Bargain Store. Items are mostly sold by weight, with prices ranging from $0.49 to $1.69 per pound, depending on the location. The wide selection and massive discounts on a variety of household goods typically attract a fervent following of regular customers, some of whom make a full-time living buying and re-selling goods. There are also many vendors who buy this merchandise in bulk, and they send the merchandise to third-world countries. According to Katerina Parsons May 1, 2018 article “The Billion Dollar Business of Donated Clothes” in The Post Calvin, used clothing represents as many as 40,000 jobs in the United States, and worldwide, generates around $3.7 billion in sales each year.

Initiatives

According to Wikipedia, in November 2010, for the first time, Goodwill opened a store in San Francisco, California, specifically designed to hire employees who are transgender, gay, or lesbian. The temporary or pop-up store was a unique partnership between Goodwill of San Francisco and Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative. The Castro pop-up store closed in April 2011, but the staff was transferred to various Goodwill stores throughout San Francisco.

Goodwill Industries International and Goodwill Industries of Central Texas (Austin) hosted their first pop-up retail shop, POP!, at the international South by Southwest festival in 2013. Goodwill has been around for more than 110 years, but in recent years has revamped its retail strategy to include boutiques, trunk shows and other venues that appeal to a younger audience. During the POP! shop, consumers chose from a selection of unique items, including vintage and contemporary fashions and accessories, and designer labels. Revenues generated from the shop are helping put people to work in Austin.

In 2010, Goodwill launched the Donate Movement to demonstrate the value that donated goods have for people and the planet. Goodwill's vision for the Donate icon is a universal reminder to recycle through responsible donation, helping provide opportunities for others while diverting usable items from landfills.

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2002, Goodwill Industries launched an international workforce development initiative designed to integrate 20 million people into the workplace by the year 2020. Known as the Goodwill Industries 21st Century Initiative, the plan includes broad strategies for getting people into good jobs that enable them to become self-sufficient. These strategies include providing job and technology training for a 21st-century workforce, offering family strengthening services to support workers and their families, and developing business opportunities to employ individuals who were previously considered unemployable.

As part of the Joining Forces campaign of First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, Goodwill has hired nearly 1,800 veterans and military family members and has served nearly 100,000 more with job training and placement services. In June 2013, Goodwill announced an initiative with the goal of engaging 3,000 women veterans over the next two years with services and support that lead to economic self-sufficiency.

GoodProspects is an online program of Goodwill where people seeking jobs or exploring careers can get advice from people that have worked in the field in which they are interested. Career mentors advising users are online volunteers. GoodProspects was launched in the fall of 2011, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. It is currently supported by Accenture PLC and SafeLink Wireless.

The Salvation Army

According to Wikipedia, The Salvation Army is a Christian church and an international charitable organization. The organization reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7 million, consisting of soldiers, officers and adherents collectively known as Salvationists. Its founders sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute and hungry by meeting both their "physical and spiritual needs." It is present in 131 countries, running charity shops, operating shelters for the homeless and disaster relief and humanitarian aid to developing countries.

The theology of the Salvation Army is derived from that of Methodism, although it is distinctive in institution and practice. A peculiarity of the Army is that it gives its clergy titles of military ranks, such as "lieutenant" or "major." It does not celebrate the rites of baptism and holy communion. However, the Army's doctrine is otherwise typical of holiness churches in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition. The Army's purposes are "the advancement of the Christian religion ... of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole."

The Army was founded in 1865 in London by one-time Methodist circuit preacher William Booth and his wife Catherine as the East London Christian Mission and can trace its origins to the Blind Beggar tavern. In 1878 Booth reorganized the mission, becoming its first General and introducing the military structure which has been retained as a matter of tradition. Its highest priority is its Christian principles. The current international leader of The Salvation Army and chief executive officer is General Brian Peddle, who was elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army August 3, 2018.

Thrift stores and charity shops

The Salvation Army is well known for its network of thrift stores or charity shops, colloquially referred to as "the Sally Ann" in Canada, "Salvos Stores" in Australia and "Sally's" in New Zealand, which raise money for its rehabilitation programs by selling donated used items such as clothing, housewares and toys. Clothing collected by Salvation Army stores that are not sold on location are often sold wholesale on the global second hand clothing market.

The Salvation Army's fundraising shops in the United Kingdom participate in the UK government's Work Programme, a workfare program where benefit claimants must work for no compensation for 20 to 40 hours per week over periods that can be as long as 6 months.

When items are bought at the Salvation Army thrift stores, part of the proceeds go towards The Salvation Army's emergency reliefs efforts and programs. Textile items not sold are recycled and turned into other items such as carpet underlay. The Salvation Army also helps their employees by hiring ex-felons depending on the circumstances because they believe in giving people second chances. There are many job opportunities available for them nationwide and they are able to move their way up to become a manager or even work in one of their corporate offices.

Adult Rehabilitation Centers

Some shops are associated with Adult Rehabilitation Centers where men and women make a six-month rehabilitation commitment to live and work at the ARC residence. They are unpaid, but they are provided with comfortable room and board. Many ARCs are male-only. The program is primarily to combat addiction. They work at the warehouse, store or residence. This is referred to as "work therapy." They attend classes, twelve-step programs and chapel services as a part of their rehabilitation. The Army advertises these programs on their collection trucks with the slogan "Doing the Most Good". The general design pattern is that an ARC is associated with a main store and warehouse. Donations are consolidated from other stores and donation sites and then sorted and priced. Next, they are distributed back out to the branch stores. Low-quality donated items are sold at the warehouse dock in a "dock sale."

Hadleigh Farm Colony

Farm land at Hadleigh in Essex was acquired in 1891 to provide training for men referred from Salvation Army shelters. It featured market gardens, orchards and two brickfields. It was mentioned in the Royal Commission report of 1909 appointed to consider Poor Laws. 7,000 trainees had passed through its doors by 1912 with more than 60% subsequently finding employment. It is still operating today and has a Twitter feed @SalArmyHFE and website http://www.hadleighfarm.org.uk.

Other facilities

The Salvation Army operates summer camps for children, Silvercrest Residences and adult day care centers. It has headquarter offices internationally, nationally and for each territory and division. Some of the other facilities include:

· Homeless hostels.

· Residential addiction dependency programs.

· Children's homes.

· Homes for elderly persons.

· Mother and baby homes.

· Women's and men's refuge centers.

· General hospitals.

· Schools.

· Maternity hospitals.