Goodwill® Celebrates National Thrift Shop Day

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries International celebrates National Thrift Shop Day and encourages people to shop at Goodwill to do more than just snag great deals. With each purchase at Goodwill, shoppers contribute to programs that provide education, skills training, and career development that help people earn jobs in communities nationwide.

"During National Thrift Shop Day, thrifters not only celebrate the values of up-cycling, re-using, smart shopping and thrifty fashion, but by shopping at Goodwill, they can have an even greater impact: they can help put unemployed or underemployed neighbors back to work," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Through our programs last year, Goodwill placed more than 318,000 people in jobs, enabling them to support their families and to build better lives and stronger communities."

Some Goodwill stores are marking the occasion by offering discounts, and some are offering Goodwill gift cards through social media campaigns. For instance,Goodwill Manasota in Florida, is asking shoppers to submit photos of their favorite Goodwill buys to facebook.com/GoodwillManasota. The top three submissions will win gift cards. In Pittsburgh, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania is joining forces with the Alliance of Nonprofit Stores (ANS) to offer a 15 percent discount on all donated merchandise.  

Shopping at Goodwill helps the economy, as it contributes to the mission of providing important social services for people who are struggling to find employment.  Local Goodwill agencies meet the needs of job seekers through a variety of workforce development offerings, including programs for youth, seniors, veterans and their families, as well as people with disabilities and other disadvantages to finding employment. Goodwill trains people for careers in industries such as banking, IT and health care and provides the support services they need to be successful, including English-language training, credentialing, financial education, and access to transportation and child care.

To celebrate National Thrift Day, find your  local Goodwill  or calculate the real-world impact of your purchases using the Donation Impact Calculator, visit www.goodwill.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 20 most inspiring companies (Forbes, 2014). 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 3,000 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 services preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2014, more than 426,000 people in the United States and Canada used Goodwill's intensive one-on-one career services to prepare for employment. In addition, more than 24 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill education, training, mentoring and online learning services to strengthen their skills. To learn more, visit goodwill.org

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at Goodwill.org, use the Goodwill Locator app at goodwill.org/apps, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillIntl and @GoodwillCapHill, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International