Goodwill Donations Help With Career Readiness
WARSAW — When donating to Goodwill, one does not always think about where those items are going. However, a quick stop inside the career center at the opposite end of the store will reveal what those donations can do.
According to Warsaw Goodwill Career Center Manager Lauren Byers, 80 percent of the donations brought to the Warsaw store are sold at the Warsaw store. Only when an item has been on the shelves or racks for a certain amount of time is it packed up and shipped to a different center to try again.
“What’s donated to Kosciusko County stays in Kosciusko County,” she said. “We try to keep the donations in-house.”
Donating to the Warsaw Goodwill is simple. Items can be taken to the donation drop-off, where a worker can assist in unloading boxes and bags. Donors receive a coupon and tax receipt. Items are then sorted, priced and placed in the thrift store for sale.
Proceeds from the thrift store help fund the career center, which is located on the opposite side of the store from the donation center. The career center uses the funds to assist those in the community who have faced job barriers.
The career center also helps clients with resume building, cover letters, thank-you letters, job application help and employment leads. Clients can also find help with setting up and using email, Internet safety and how to use Microsoft Office.
Computer space is available at no cost for those needing to update resumes, use social media in the job search process, check email or participate in online classes. Goodwill also offers a free resource website called GCF Learn Free.
The Warsaw Career Center is also partnering this month with Combined Community Services to hold a food drive. Anyone wishing to donate a non-perishable item can do so during regular hours Monday, Dec. 14, through Friday, Dec. 18.
Additional information about these and other career center programs is available at Goodwill’s website.