Donations to Goodwill support job training and placement services
TACOMA – With the end of the year just days away, there are more opportunities than ever to receive tax benefits for making donations of gently used clothes, shoes and household goods to Tacoma Goodwill.

The donations support the agency’s job training and placement programs, which in 2009 faced a 20 percent increase in demand for services over the previous year, said Terry A. Hayes, Tacoma Goodwill CEO. A complete list of donation locations, including Goodwill stores, is located at www.tacomagoodwill.org.

“The end of the year is a great time to make donations, since they’re tax deductible,” Hayes said. “The gift of even a single box of clothes or other items helps provide opportunities for people to get that first job or that second chance.”

In 2009, Goodwill served more than 6,200 people and placed more than 1,000 in jobs.

Goodwill is also a certified collector in the E-Cycle Washington campaign. The program allows free drop-off of laptops, TVs, computers and monitors. In Pierce County, South King County and portions of Thurston County, Tacoma Goodwill provides free pickup of large furniture items or other high value items as part of its Premier Donations program. Call 253.573.6687 for information.
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About Tacoma Goodwill
Goodwill is a unique nonprofit business. It turns donations and business revenue into programs that change lives by helping people with disabilities or disadvantages go to work. This year, Tacoma Goodwill Industries will help more than 7,500 people with education, job training and placement so they can become independent self-supporting citizens. Of these, 1,200 people with barriers to employment will be placed in jobs in the community. Job-training services are funded through financial gifts, grants, fees, commercial services and the operation of 25 thrift stores throughout Western and Southcentral Washington. Please visit our Web site at www.tacomagoodwill.org.