Goodwill® Sponsors Thrift Store Project: Documenting America's Consumption Patterns

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Jun 16, 2011, 04:44 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With today's focus on our planet's limited resources, consumers' purchases of previously used items are not only a choice that is healthy for the planet, but offer an antidote to the consumerism that has pushed Americans' spending habits to the max. Goodwill Industries® is proud to serve as an educational partner and sponsor of All Thrifty States: A Visual Journey through America's Collective Closets, a documentary project that plans to educate and change how Americans view their consumption, and brings attention to the power of secondhand shopping to support communities across the United States.

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All Thrifty States promotes a healthy consumer product cycle that includes saving natural resources, energy and money by purchasing used goods. The project is spearheaded by Jenna Isaacson, a Washington-DC based independent visual journalist and lover of all things thrift. Isaacson plans to travel the country from June 18 – August 8, in a fuel-efficient RV from Cruise America, which will prominently display Goodwill signage. Isaacson will depart from Phoenix, and travel to Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Omaha, Seattle, Spokane, and other locations, photographically documenting Goodwill stores and encouraging a more "secondhand" consumer lifestyle.

As a journalist who was laid-off, Isaacson understands first-hand the need for quality items at affordable prices as well as the critical need for job training, which is funded through the sale of donated goods at Goodwill stores across the U.S. and Canada.

"With Thrifty States, my goal is for consumers to have a better understanding of the positive aspects of secondhand shopping, which include helping people served by nonprofits, shrinking landfills, reducing clutter, saving money for municipalities and boosting the economy," said Jenna Isaacson, founder of All Thrifty States. "Goodwill is one example. They divert more than 2 billion pounds of goods from the landfills each year, and utilize eight out of every 10 dollars from the sales of those goods to provide job training for people facing challenges to finding employment."

Isaacson believes that thrift stores not only make an impact on the environment, but provide a window on the story of America's communities through the observation of things they once owned. Thrift stores contain a distinct variety of items that are reasonably priced, stylish and fun, and say a lot about the community that surrounds it.

"Jenna Isaacson is taking her passion for donated goods and educating the public on the tie-in between donations and environmental sustainability, while also breaking any negative stigmas about thrift stores and bringing light to the mission, knowledge and benefits of secondhand living," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Jenna is a true advocate for the mission of Goodwill, bringing awareness to Americans on what donations mean for both people and the planet."

For more information, visit http://allthriftystates.com or at Twitter: @AllThriftyState

ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based, independent agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of the nation's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, 2009). Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 2,500 stores and online at www.shopgoodwill.com. Local Goodwill agencies also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation and document imaging and shredding. In 2010, more than 2.4 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 84 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services. To find your local Goodwill, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org or call (800) 741-0186.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International