Goodwill urges to donate now, beat the holiday, year-end rush

CLARKSVILLE,Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW)-Middle Tennessee residents can help their communities and themselves by donating gently used clothing and household goods to Goodwill before Christmas to beat the annual year-end rush.

Each year from Dec. 26-31, the number of donations at Goodwill Donation Express centers rises dramatically. In 2018, donations on these six days rose by nearly 46 percent compared to other days of the year.

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee depends on this surge of donations — as well as other donations given throughout the year — to fund its mission of changing lives through education, training, and employment.

Each year, thousands of people in communities across Middle and West Tennessee benefit from Goodwill’s free services, ranging from job fairs at Career Solutions Centers to training in construction, call center, and forklift operation.

Donating to Goodwill not only helps other people in the community, but it also helps the environment. In 2018, Goodwill diverted more than 31 million pounds of useful materials from landfills through its recycling efforts.

The end-of-year donation rush is prompted by people cleaning out their closets, attics, and garages to make room for holiday gifts and to take advantage of tax deductions for charitable giving before the end of the year. Here are a few things to keep in mind when donating to Goodwill:

● When decluttering your home, consider the One-Year Rule: If you haven’t worn it, used it or played it in one year, it is probably time to donate it.

● Please remove hangers from clothing.

● Hours vary by Donation Express Center location. Please only leave donations when an attendant is on duty.

● Goodwill cannot accept some items, such as household chemicals and older, tube-style televisions. A list of some other items that can and cannot be accepted are on Goodwill’s website.

● Goodwill’s donation receipt includes a 10 percent off coupon for Goodwill stores.

● You can track your donations at mygoodwilldonation.org.

There are 60 Donations Express Centers located throughout middle and west Tennessee, and most are open seven days a week. Locations, hours and much more information can be found online at www.giveit2goodwill.org.

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

For more than 60 years, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has provided job training and job placement free of charge to people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through the sale of donated items.

Goodwill’s vision is that all people will have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential through the power of work. More information about Goodwill’s Career Solutions, retail stores, and donation centers can be obtained online at www.giveit2goodwill.org or by calling 1-800-545-9231.