Spring Cleaning Helps Others Find Jobs

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Mar 21, 2012, 08:00 ET

Goodwill® Donations Fund Career Services for People Who Are Unemployed Nationwide

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although the U.S. unemployment rate has decreased in recent months, many people in our community still have difficulty entering the labor market and providing for their families. The simple act of cleaning out your closets and donating to Goodwill this spring will provide critical career services and programs that help people who are unemployed throughout the country once again earn paychecks.

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"We see small signs of hope for the economy, such as the dip in the unemployment rate and a rise in holiday retail sales, but for millions of families, the economic outlook is anything but positive," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "People without jobs, especially those who have been unemployed for long periods of time, need the extra attention and support that Goodwill has provided for more than a century."

The end of winter has long signaled the perfect time to declutter closets, attics and other storage spaces. Yet, spring cleaning has benefits beyond tidier households. A family's donation of gently used clothing and household goods can be sold in Goodwill stores and online at shopgoodwill.com®. The revenues fund Goodwill's job training programs and community-based services that can lead to employment and fresh starts for people without jobs. Goodwill provides career services that anyone can use to boost their chances of getting hired, including assistance in writing a resume, job interview practice and access to job leads.

During spring cleaning, families can make the best use of their storage spaces by keeping their belongings organized. Lorie Marrero, Certified Professional Organizer® and organizing expert for Good Housekeeping magazine, provides useful tips and techniques to help families keep their spaces streamlined. As a spokesperson for Goodwill's Donate Movement, she communicates the positive impact donated items can have on people in local communities. Marrero is also the author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life, and creator of the ClutterDiet.com, an online program that helps people stay organized.

"When your spring cleaning ends with a donation to Goodwill, people looking for employment in your local community will benefit from your generosity," said Gibbons. "Your donations fund Goodwill's employment programs that create jobs and strengthen families and the economic health of your community."

About Goodwill Industries International:
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with 14 affiliates in 13 other countries. Goodwill is one of North America's top five most valuable and recognized nonprofit brands as well as a leading social services enterprise (Source: Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100). 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 nearly 2,600 stores and online at 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 2011, nearly three 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 a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Facebook: GoodwillIntl. Twitter: @GoodwillCapHill, @GoodwillIntl.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International