During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, many people are searching for ways to give back and help those in need. Even if funds are tight this time of year, people can give back by scouring their homes, closets and garages for gently used items to donate to Horizon Goodwill Industries. At Goodwill®, we turn these donated items into something very real: job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people with disabilities.
Before 2014, consider donating these top 10 items to any Horizon Goodwill Industries location.
- Clothing: Suits, pants, dresses, shirts — you name it, we’ll take it! Donating clothes not only funds job training programs but also provides new outfits for the job seekers Goodwill serves.
- Coats & Boots: Bring your gently used winter boots and extra coats to Goodwill. By donating these items, you are fueling change in your neighborhoods.
- Bikes: Yes, Goodwill and other thrift stores take big-ticket items like bikes. When your children have outgrown theirs or received another one from Santa this Christmas, consider donating your old one.
- Household Items: It’s time to give that lamp a new life. Lamps, frames, vases, curios, baskets and other collectibles are just a few of the many items you can donate to Goodwill.
- Video Tapes: As you move to purchasing entertainment on Blu-Ray or DVDs, please donate your old VCR tapes to us.
- CDs: If all your songs are now saved on hard drives or MP3 players, do you really need those hundreds of old CDs taking up space in the back of your closet? It may be time to donate them.
- Books: Upgrade from paperback to a Kindle or iPad this year? Donating 15 books can provide 26 minutes of career counseling for a veteran like Jason Tobey, a Marine Corps veteran who struggled to find employment after being honorably discharged from the military.
- Video Games: A donation of 10 video games can provide 47 minutes of on-the-job training for someone like Sarouet Ouk, who dropped out of school but found a job and got back on track educationally thanks to a Goodwill job training program.
- Kitchenware: Receive something new for the kitchen during the holidays? Gently used kitchenware can be donated at most Goodwill locations. Click here to find your nearest donation site.
- Computers: At the end of their useful life, computers can be donated at your local Goodwill store and recycled via Goodwill’s Dell Reconnect partnership. Donors should be sure to delete personal data before donating.
To calculate the impact your donation will have on job training, career counseling and financial education programs, or to find a Goodwill location near you, click here.