Goodwill Launches Donate Movement to Help Consumers Reduce Waste and Improve Communities

Goodwill Industries International has launched the Donate Movement, a new innovative public awareness movement to emphasize the positive impact that donating clothing and other household goods can have on communities and the planet. Memphis Goodwill Industries will participate in the Donate Movement to create awareness and increase the impact of donations locally through its 21 attended donation centers throughout the Mid-South.           

Through the Donate Movement, Goodwill is challenging people to rid their closets and homes of unwanted items and put them to good use by donating them. Goodwill also is unveiling a new “D” donation icon with the goal that it will become a universally recognized symbol stamped on donatable items.            

“When you donate the items you no longer need to Goodwill, you are helping someone find a job, strengthening your community and preserving the planet,” said Tony Martini, president and chief executive officer of Memphis Goodwill Industries. “Your donations also help the environment by allowing other people to repurpose the items so they can be diverted from landfills.”            

Goodwill Industries International also rolled out donate.goodwill.org, a new website Goodwill member affiliates can use to engage shoppers and donors in the movement’s major tenets. The most prominent feature of the new site is a public education tool – the Donation Impact Calculator. The calculator features three categories of frequently donated items – clothing, household goods and electronics – and calculates the hours of donation-powered services program participants receive from the sale of those items.              

“The Donate Movement starts with all of us,” Martini said. “Donations are the lifeblood of Goodwill’s mission and, at a time when Goodwill’s services are in great demand, it is crucial that we grow our mission by increasing donations.”

Goodwill is launching the Donate Movement with partner and leading consumer brand Levi Strauss & Co.® and spokesperson Lorie Marrero, who is the creator of www.clutterdiet.com and author of The Clutter Diet®: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life.            

Last year, 67 million donors gave items to Goodwill. These donors helped Goodwill agencies provide critical services to nearly 2 million people. Goodwill provides job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based services to people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience and others facing challenges to finding employment. Goodwill’s mission is fulfilled through the collection and sale of donated goods, which fund these critical programs.            

For a full list of attended donation centers in Memphis, please visit www.goodwillmemphis.org. For more information about how donations help Goodwill’s mission and the Donate Movement, visit http://donate.goodwill.org.            

Memphis Goodwill Industries was founded in 1927 as a territory of the nationwide Goodwill Industries movement. Today, the organization employs more than 500 people in Tennessee and Mississippi who would otherwise face significant barriers to employment. For more information about Goodwill in Memphis, store locations or hours of operation, call (901) 323-6221 or visit www.goodwillmemphis.org.  

For more information on Goodwill's Donate Movement, contact: Kimberly Crafton Director of Marketing and Public Relations Phone: (901) 747-8178 E-mail: kcrafton@goodwillmemphis.org