Thursday is National Thrift Shop Day, and Rockville, Maryland-based Goodwill Industries is using the day to ask people to stop by their local Goodwill store and either shop or donate.
Goodwill of Greater Washington has 21 stores in the D.C. region, all of which take donations and are popular stores for thrift shoppers looking for useful or unique finds.
Goodwill, founded in Boston in 1902, has more than 3,300 outlet and retail stores in the U.S. and Canada. It says 81% of households in the U.S. are located within a 10-mile radius of a Goodwill store.
Goodwill Industries mission is providing people with job training, development and employment. In 2022, more than 129,000 people were placed into jobs.
Its employment centers provide access to technology, training and support for those it serves. Roughly 80% of Goodwill’s revenue from sales of donated goods are used to fund training and job placement. Last year, it generated more than $7 billion in revenue. It is consistently named one of the top charities in the U.S.
Last year, Goodwill says its donate and sell ecosystem kept an estimated four billion pounds of unwanted items from ending up in landfills.
Goodwill took its stores online, launching GoodwilllFinds, selling everything from cheap video consoles, to expensive designer clothing, with a goal of eventually offering one million items for sale online.
