What's Good About Goodwill

When was the last time you stopped by a Goodwill store? If you haven't been to one lately, I would recommend checking it out. With over 40 locations in Arizona, chances are there is a Goodwill store near you!

What makes Goodwill such an interesting place to visit? All of the merchandise for sale is donated by people just like you. In addition to clothes, they also have housewares, tools, furniture, electronics, sporting goods, books, and much more! You never know what you might find. It's a great place to look for antiques, collectibles, and other vintage goods not found in traditional retail stores.

It may surprise you to learn that Goodwill of Central Arizona is more than just a chain of secondhand stores. In fact, Goodwill provides a lot to Phoenix and to Phoenix residents. They have job placement and job training programs to help people looking for work. They provide a safe working environment for at-risk teens as well as senior citizens. One way or another, they put people to work!

What's really impressive is that Goodwill provides all of this to the community while retaining its status as a nonprofit organization. Figures published by Goodwill report that 90 cents of every dollar earned goes back into the community. Wow!

I think that Goodwill's presence in the Phoenix area is a win-win situation. I often find myself donating old clothes, books, furniture, and electronic goods to the stores by me in North Phoenix. I can feel good knowing that my old items are not taking up space in a landfill. When someone buys the merchandise I donated, they are helping the community by providing jobs to employees and revenue to Goodwill which it redistributes.

I also enjoy shopping at Goodwill for the sheer variety and randomness of the merchandise they have. Some of my better finds have included classic video game systems, unique T-shirts, and a shelf of very affordable paperback books. As the old saying goes, one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Before you throw away that box of vinyl records or that old bicycle in the garage, I would encourage you to donate it to your local Goodwill store instead. Now that you know how the system works, it's easy to see what's so good about Goodwill!