Saturday | May 22, 2021
Here at Goodwill Central Texas, we accept all donations with open arms, just as we do with so many disadvantaged individuals and families in our community who need our services to overcome life obstacles through education, career training, and work. Yes, donations that you may think have no value, create treasure for our mission. While decluttering your closet or garage, you may pause and wonder, “Is this good enough?” or “Would someone else be able to use this?” Our answer is YES, and we’re more than happy to sort through your stuff! It’s an integral part of our mission as a non-profit social enterprise — and just one of the many services we provide for the community. Believe me, our donation attendants and merchandise processors are experts in extracting as much value from your donations that we’re grateful to receive. We’re in awe of our community’s generosity, and here are three reasons why donations matter so much.
In 2020, we received a whopping total of 1,538,826 community donations! In turn, the sale of these items made it possible for us to serve 8,745 Central Texans and place people into 1,907 jobs last year. We rely on donated goods to fund our mission of transforming generations by empowering people through education, career training, and work. It’s the primary way of HOW we do what we do. Without donations, we wouldn’t be able to serve the underserved. Did you know that more than half a million people in Central Texas are living significantly below the poverty level?* So keep those donations coming — your neighbors in need will thank you!
Instead of tossing away something you no longer want, give us a chance to sell or recycle it! Last year, we were able to achieve a landfill diversion rate of 79%, which means that over 100 million pounds of donated items were kept out of our landfills AND helped fund our mission services. Now that’s a win-win for everyone!
The work we do is important, but it’s impossible without your support and generosity. Your donations become real funds that are invested into our community. Thanks to you, people are empowered to earn a high school diploma in a supportive setting, train for a long-lasting and fulfilling career, or gain the job-ready skills they need to stand out in a competitive employment landscape. With the support of your generous community donations, we’re able to create long-term generational change for the people who need it most.
With you by our side, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish together! To see firsthand how our programs make a real difference in people’s lives, check out our Success Stories.
*U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018