"Donate Stuff. Create Jobs" at Goodwill® and the Bon-Ton Stores this Spring

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As you clean out your closets this spring, set aside the clothing and household textiles you no longer need. Then donate them to Goodwill at your local Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's or Younkers stores. For each item donated, customers will receive a coupon to purchase the latest spring fashions up to 25 percent off regular and sale prices. The spring Goodwill Sale takes place from March 13 to 29. Coupons may be redeemed at any of Bon-Ton's 270 stores and furniture galleries.

Donations will then be sold at Goodwill stores within the communities in which they are collected. The revenue from the donation sales will fund job training programs and other community-based services that help people find jobs and care for their families. Just one bag of clothes creates one hour of on-the-job training for someone who needs employment assistance. To date, Bon-Ton customers have donated more than 95 million items during the semi-annual Goodwill Sale equating to 8.9 million hours of job services to help local members of the community get back to work.

Every year, Goodwill provides employment training, job placement, financial education, youth mentoring and more to millions of people throughout the United States and Canada. The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale is Goodwill's largest and longest standing cause partnership and department store donation drive. The sale takes place twice a year, in the spring and fall. The Goodwill Sale has been turning donors into job creators since 1994, helping people like Bill Thigpen.

Bill lost his wife to breast cancer and was laid off from his job in a span of several weeks. He learned about the Goodwill Keystone Area (Harrisburg, PA) Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and shared his desire to work in public service or nonprofits. He earned a job with the local Goodwill's SCSEP program, helping fellow seniors grow their work skills and find jobs in public service. After building his own skills, Bill now works as a project coordinator for Chester County, PA. Bill said, "Goodwill's SCSEP program was the most perfect thing that has happened to me, and I am looking forward to helping others." This and the other stories found on goodwill.org demonstrate the power of Goodwill's programs to transform lives.

"Spring is the perfect time to clean out your home and donate the things you no longer need to Goodwill. Donations to Goodwill provide someone like Bill with a fresh start and an opportunity to work in his community," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "When you support the Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale, you're helping to create jobs and employment opportunities in your community."

Customers are also invited to visit millionactsofgoodwill.com to learn more about the event and to play the Closet Clean-Out Giveaway for a chance to win a $100 gift card instantly and be entered for the grand prize to win a $1,000 Bon-Ton shopping spree.

"The Bon-Ton family of stores has made a commitment to strengthen our communities and this program exemplifies that mission" said Brendan Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "We are pleased to kick off our 20^th year of supporting Goodwill Industries^® through our signature Goodwill Sale event."

During the Goodwill Sale, customers can help spread the word about their donations and new purchases using the hashtag #GoodwillSale. Goodwill Industries (@GoodwillIntl) and Bon-Ton Stores (@bonton) will highlight their favorite tweets throughout the campaign.

In September 2013, Goodwill partnered with the Ad Council on its first national multimedia public service announcement (PSA) campaign to encourage Americans to help create jobs in their communities. As millions of people continue to struggle with unemployment, the campaign aims to educate and inspire Americans to help create jobs in their communities by donating clothing and household items to Goodwill. To view the PSAs, visit adcouncil.org.

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill is one of America's top 25 most inspiring companies (Forbes, 2013). 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 2,700 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. Last year, more than 6.7 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 82 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.

About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 270 department stores, which includes 10 furniture galleries, in 25 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates.  The Stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings.  The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is an active and positive participant in the communities it serves. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://investors.bonton.com. Learn more at Facebook.com/bonton,  Instagram.com/bontonstyle and Twitter.com/bonton

SOURCE Goodwill Industries International