Aug 26, 2014
Rochester, NY – After all of the excitement of summer, back-to-school shopping can be stressful for parents – and it’s easy to see why. Every August, American parents spend more than $8.5 billion at family clothing stores, and that doesn’t even include books, school supplies, and all the rest of the season’s shopping needs.
This year, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is asking parents to join with us in committing to making sure that some of those back-to-school billions go toward empowering people in our community to overcome barriers to independence, such as chronic and long-term unemployment, or visual impairment.
“At Goodwill, we take the value of donated clothing, electronics, and household goods and turn it into job training, vision rehabilitation therapy, and mentoring programs for individuals and families in need,” said Mary Boland, Director of Communications and Community Relations, noting: “Every time you shop at Goodwill, you’re empowering people in this community, making a stronger, more vibrant place for all of us.”
In this way, parents can teach their children the value of every dollar and how shopping at Goodwill for Back-to-School can help keep the overall family budget down.
“Parents will be helping their families while helping others too. Not to mention, they’ll also be helping the environment by diverting used goods from ending up in local landfills. That’s something we can all get excited about,” said Boland.
Yet, Boland said she knows that convincing kids and teens that they don’t need every brand new back-to-school item and keeping them away from the high-priced mall stores s easier said than done.
“Fortunately, even when parents do buy new clothes and school supplies, they and their children can still join us in helping to empower our community by donating items they no longer need,” said Boland.
Here is a good rule of thumb for parents: for every new back-to-school item a child simply “must have,” they can commit to donating two items to Goodwill. For instance, if the teen in the household wants the latest style of jeans, two clothing items from last year need to go to Goodwill in exchange. Is a new computer or tablet in your child’s future? Bring your used laptops, DVDs, or video games to the closest Goodwill store or Donation Center.
What will your Goodwill Back-to-School find be?
For more information about Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, or to find a store or donation location nearest you, please visit our Hours and Locations page by clicking on this link.
Media Contact:
Todd Pipitone, Public Relations Manager
Phone: (585) 469-5699
Email: tpipitone@abvi-goodwill.com