For many, Goodwill is known as just a thrift store, a place to find and donate used clothing and household items. This may seem like a simple concept but at Goodwill Northern New England everyone who shops and donates is a part of something bigger.
With two Goodwill locations in Gorham, the Goodwill store and Goodwill Buy the Pound Store & Donation Center, Goodwill is doing more than just offering affordable fashion and items. They’re helping to build a stronger, sustainable community– one donation, one purchase, and one new job at a time. April being Earth Month, this message is important.
Goodwill Northern New England (NNE) is a nonprofit organization serving Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Each year, Goodwill supports over 10,000 individuals by providing life and career-building support and services, whether it be through job training, career counseling or other programs that are made to promote strength and stability. Revenue from Goodwill stores directly fund these programs, creating sustainability for both people and the planet.
As part of Earth Month initiatives, Goodwill NNE has partnered with ecomaine to host a free clothing swap at Portland’s Earth Day Celebration in Payson Park on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event will feature local sustainable organizations, live music, food trucks, outdoor activities, and more. Community members are greatly encouraged to bring their gently used clothing to exchange with others. The event will encourage reuse while engaging with local sustainability organizations. All unclaimed clothing from the swap will be donated to Goodwill stores, supporting the mission of keeping materials out of landfills.
“Sustainability is at the center of everything we do,” said Keith Crowley, director of Development and Community Engagement at Goodwill NNE. “Getting out of our stores and into our communities increases accessibility to secondhand options and helps us educate about the benefits of choosing secondhand as it concerns the environment, and the people Goodwill serves.”
In recent years, Goodwill NNE has taken big steps at reducing its environmental footprint. The organization eliminated single-use plastic bags, investing in fuel-efficient transportation, and optimizing its supply chain to reduce waste. These efforts, combined with community donations have helped Goodwill NNE divert nearly 50 million pounds of materials from reaching landfills each year.
The impact isn’t just environmental. Goodwill stores provide accessible, driven employment and free support and services accessible to all employees. Goodwill jobs often provide not only income, but access to resources and training that help to build lasting careers. Each transaction, whether it be by donation, purchase or swap–is feeded back into a cycle that supports environmental responsibility and individual opportunities.
The local Goodwill stores are anchors in the Gorham community that bring together purpose, opportunity and great environmental impact. Whether you donate clothes, shop secondhand or participate in events like the upcoming clothing swap, each individual action supports a much greater mission.
To learn more about the Goodwill Northern New England’s mission and initiatives, visit https://ww.goodwillnne.com. Gorham’s local Goodwill store is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Goodwill Buy the Pound Store & Donation Center is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.