Every year, people clean out their closets and homes to start fresh for the spring season. This Earth Day, Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC) is encouraging people to live more sustainable lifestyles and help people in their local communities find jobs. In addition, people can shop at Goodwill SOLAC stores and save while collectively diverting about 14 million pounds of items from landfills impacting environmental sustainability.
By shopping at and donating to Goodwill, residents can help people find employment and build their work skills.
Goodwill’s donation-resale model extends the life of clothing and other goods to earn revenue for Goodwill job training programs, employment placement services and other important services, such as life skills classes, résumé preparation and financial education, according to the organization.
“Revenue raised through the sale of donated goods creates employment opportunities and important social services to help transform someone’s life. This is all done through the simple act of cleaning out a closet,” said Janet McCarthy, president and CEO of Goodwill SOLAC. “Making a commitment to reduce, reuse and repurpose this Earth Day is as simple as heading to the nearest Goodwill store or donation center.”
Every donation at Goodwill SOLAC provides on-site and virtual training, access to computers for job-search assistance, employment placement, job training and other community-based services, such as career counseling, English-language training and industry-recognized credentials for anyone facing challenges to finding employment. Last year, Goodwill SOLAC placed 452 individuals in employment, according to the nonprofit.
To increase awareness about how donating goods impacts Earth, Goodwill SOLAC is organizing Earth Day recycling drives with local employer partners, including: IKEA in Carson on Saturday, April 22; Long Beach 8th District Councilmember Al Austin’s office at the North Division Police Station on Saturday, April 29; and Toyota’s Research & Development Division in Gardena on May 2. Several local schools also are partnering with Goodwill SOLAC to host donation drives in recognition of Earth Day, which is globally celebrated on April 22.
More information is available at ThinkGood.org.
Source: Goodwill SOLAC
