Your generosity supports Superior Goodwill effort

The holiday season is upon us once again in full force, with its many demands on our time, wallets and resources. There will be parties and fundraisers to attend, gifts to buy, donations to make and goodies to bake, and Christmas will be here before we know it.

That being said, the last thing I would want to do is add another line to your to-do list this holiday season. But I would like to take this opportunity to plant a little seed of information, a nugget of knowledge to be filed away in the back of your mind for later, perhaps after the maelstrom of the season has passed.

My message is simple: Your donations of gently used household items to Goodwill help create jobs for people in your community.

Goodwill’s resale shop in Superior is one of 13 stores in the Northland operated by our headquarters in Duluth.

Goodwill was founded in 1902 by the Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Boston minister who sought to help the city’s underprivileged population by collecting donations from the wealthy and hiring the poor to mend and repair them.

This basic mission is still going strong more than a century later, with a focus that’s shifted toward employment and employment-related services for people with disabilities or others with barriers to employment. Our own branch of Goodwill was founded in 1919 and today includes stores/services in Ashland, Bemidji, Brainerd, Cloquet, Crosslake, Duluth, Ely, Fergus Falls, Grand Rapids, Hermantown, Hibbing, and Virginia.

Here’s how Goodwill’s cycle of giving works today: Donations of household goods are accepted at every store and at our main facility in Duluth. The majority of the goods donated here at the Superior store will remain here. Additionally, in Duluth, more than 140 people will process goods from that area — with a portion of those goods being shipped to outlying stores to supplement their store stock. Any goods that don’t meet our store quality standards will be recycled, with total reuse adding up to millions of pounds each year. It’s clear that giving to Goodwill is an environmentally responsible choice.

The goods that have provided employment in both Duluth and Superior are placed in our store, where our customers will find great values on quality merchandise. Our store revenues fund our nonprofit mission of job creation and training, and as a member of this community, you can support this mission by shopping and donating.

In addition to employment of local staff in Superior, we provide employment to local residents with disabilities or others with barriers to employment. So when you shop with us or drop off your gently used clothing and household items, you’re supporting Superior community members, as well as our mission across the Northland. All it takes is a few minutes spent cleaning out your closets or purging last year’s Christmas gifts to make room for the new toys. Our donors have told us that getting their kids involved in the sorting process is a great opportunity to teach them about the importance of giving back.

This holiday season and beyond, we’d like to thank you for all that you do for Goodwill in your community. Your generous support is a key component to our mission’s success. Your continued support during the holiday season and throughout the year is sincerely appreciated. In today’s tough economic climate, our mission is more important than ever.

Valarie Clark is the public relations specialist for Goodwill in Duluth. She can be reached at (218) 722-6351, vclark@goodwillduluth.org. For more information, visit www.goodwillduluth.org.

Tags: opinion, food, commentary