Arc Thrift Stores 'Drive-Thru' Donation Site Now Open

Colorado's first donation drive-thru to meet growing retail demand of recycled goods while benefiting people with developmental disabilities.

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Arc Thrift Stores

Apr 08, 2010, 11:32 ET

DENVER, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Arc Thrift Stores has opened its first drive-thru donation site at 11190 West Alameda Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80026. The converted gas station offers people easy drop-off access from Alameda Avenue between Quail and Parfet Streets. Uniformed Arc Donation Drive-Thru Team members are available to assist with unloading donations.

Carrying everything from women's, men's and children's clothing to household items, Arc Thrift Stores has experienced a major increase in customer transactions. Last year the 19-store chain had more than 276,000 new customer transactions. To meet the growing customer demand, Arc is in need of unwanted clothing and household items. "Most donors prefer dropping off donations on their own schedule. This fast and easy approach to collecting donations eliminates the wait time for household pick ups and will help us meet the product volumes needed to sustain customer demand," said Lloyd Lewis, President and CEO.

The Eco-Impact: Through the Arc Thrift Stores prior 12 months, 40 million pounds, or 36,125,000 pieces of unwanted clothing and household items were donated and diverted from the landfill. According to Scott Blomquist, Director of Recycling Operations, "This equates to approximately 6,000,000 cubic feet of landfill space. For every 75 items donated to Arc, almost 6 pounds of Carbon Monoxide (CO2) is eliminated from the air we all breathe."

Arc Donation Drive-Thru Team members will unload the items from vehicles, wash vehicle windshields and provide "Arcky" coloring pages and treats for the "young-at-heart" customers.

The Arc Donation Drive-Thru will be open 7 days per week, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

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About arc Thrift Stores: arc Thrift Stores http://www.arcthrift.org operates 19 thrift stores throughout Colorado and provides funding to arc Chapters, which in turn provide advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Arc Thrift Stores is one of the largest employers of individuals with developmental disabilities in the state of Colorado.