Savers, Inc. Thrift Stores Give Spring Cleaning a Boost with Launch of Clear Clutter for a Cause

BELLEVUE, Wash., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for Earth Day and the spring cleaning season, Savers thrift stores, an international chain with 270 locations across the U.S., Canada and Australia, today announced a massive donation drive across North America called "Clear Clutter for a Cause." Together with over 140 nonprofit partners, Clear Clutter for a Cause encourages the public to turn otherwise unused goods into revenue for local nonprofits by donating items, rather than sending them to a landfill.

"We know millions of families are already clearing out their clutter with spring cleaning," said Tony Shumpert, VP of Recycling & Supply Chain Operations for Savers, Inc. "By donating these items, instead of simply throwing them away, you can give back to the community and save quality goods from polluting the Earth. In fact, Savers operates one of the largest recycling programs in the world, keeping more than 500 million pounds of goods out of landfills last year alone."

So how does it work? Every Savers location partners with a nonprofit organization in its community, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Arc, the Epilepsy Foundation or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. All year round, each store pays its nonprofit partner for every item donated, which includes clothing, housewares, furniture and more. Partners are paid for donations collected directly by the nonprofit or at the Community Donation Centers located on-site at Savers stores. These partnerships turn otherwise unused goods into sustainable funding that supports the nonprofits' programs and services.

To make it easy for consumers to get involved with the Clear Clutter for a Cause campaign, Savers offers these tips:

• Bring a friend in to help with spring cleaning. Not only can the two of you spend a great afternoon together, but your friend can also give you an objective opinion as you sort through items to keep or donate.
• Be organized about getting organized. Start in one corner of one room, and make your way around the room in a circle. Don't move on to the next room until you are finished with the first. If you need to take a break, go for it, but always return back to where you left off.
• Designate a specific place for donations. Your "clutter corner" should be in a handy, but out-of-the-way location in your home. Encourage family members to place items – clothes, toys, housewares – that they aren't using any longer into bins. For parents, your children will see that gently used items shouldn't be thrown away, and something they don't want any longer can have a new life with someone else.
• Be realistic about what you think you want to keep. If you haven't worn that shirt in more than a year, it's ready to go. Another way to determine what to donate is to put items you're not sure about into a box. Seal it and store it. If you haven't opened that box a year later, donate the entire thing. Chances are, you don't have a clue what's in the box and don't need it.
• Know your nearest donation drop. Once you've designated items to donate, you don't have to spend hours tracking down a location to drop your items off. Simply visit www.savers.com to find a nearby Community Donation Center where you can drop off your goods. This site also provides a list of Savers' nonprofit partners in your area with donation home pick-up service where they'll come straight to your door to collect donations.

Even items people may think no one could possibly want are still welcome with Clear Clutter for a Cause. Merchandise not suitable for resale, or items that do not sell on Savers sales floors, are responsibly recycled. A portion of these goods are sent to developing countries where they support micro-economies and help improve the lives of people in other parts of the world. Remaining items are sold to domestic material wholesalers who recycle the products into new materials such as wiping rags, car insulation and much more.

The highest quality items donated are value-priced and displayed for purchase at Savers stores. By shopping at Savers, consumers put millions of products back into use each year, eliminating the need for additional manufacturing, and thereby decreasing energy and raw material consumption.

Clear Clutter for a Cause is good all around – families get more organized, local nonprofits receive funding for their important work, and millions of goods are saved from the Earth's overcrowded landfills. For more information on Savers' nonprofit partnerships and recycling efforts, please visit www.savers.com. More information and related discussions are also available in our social media communities: www.facebook.com/savers and www.twitter.com/SaversVVillage.

About Savers, Inc.

Founded in 1954, Savers, Inc. is a privately held for-profit international secondhand store chain with 270 locations and more than 15,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Australia. Savers, Inc. operates under the trade names Savers, Value Village (and Village des Valeurs in Quebec), Valu Thrift and Unique Thrift. By purchasing and reselling donated items, Savers has paid more than $1 billion directly to its nonprofit partners over the past 10 years – turning otherwise unused items into sustainable revenue that supports their programs and services. The company also offers local communities a smart way to shop and is one of the largest recyclers of used goods in the world. Visit savers.com or valuevillage.com for more information.

SOURCE Savers, Inc.