Spring cleaning is a busy time for Clark County’s goodwill business
At least this year the stores will be open and ready to accept donations and buyers
VANCOUVER – A steady stream of cars lined up outside the Fisher’s Landing Goodwill retail store in east Vancouver on Wednesday, using a fine day before spring to clear out some unwanted items.
Vancouver’s Matt Hunt makes donations at the Fisher’s Landing Goodwill Store on Wednesday. Photo by Chris Brown
But what was rubbish for them is treasure for goodwill. The nonprofits employ rites of passage like the annual spring cleaning to replenish their retail shelves for bargain hunters.
“Shopping is bad, people are careful on the shopping side,” said Dale Emanuel, spokesman for Goodwill Industries at Columbia Willamette.
There is a good side to that, however, she added.
“Please know the selection is really good.”
While shopping at a second-hand thrift store may not have been high on many people’s priority lists during a pandemic, donations have remained relatively constant.
In the past year, people in central and northwest Oregon and southwest Washington shed more than 46 million pounds of household goods. That included nearly 23 million pounds of textiles like clothing, 8.1 million pounds of books, and over three million pounds of cardboard.
Goodwill also raised 3.95 million pounds of electronics, much of which is recycled in a partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon.
“That big, huge, big-back console TV that always sat in your garage?” says Emanuel: “It doesn’t have to work. Please note that eCycle is a contract that ensures that nothing goes to landfill in any part of the world. So feel good when you give us things electronically that don’t work. “
Fisher’s Landing Goodwill’s east Vancouver location is one of the busiest in Clark County, especially during spring cleaning. Photo by Chris Brown
Last spring, most of the goodwill stores closed due to lockdowns in the first few months of the pandemic, but items still piled up outside, causing the company to urge people to wait until they reopen.
Emanuel says there are still unwanted returns as around half of their donation centers will remain closed due to downsizing, even if stores reopen.
“To this end, we ask that you pack your things and your patience so that you can please give them to us at times when we are open,” says Emanuel. “The weather could surely get it, and people you don’t plan on getting your stuff could get an idea of what you want to give to give your community easier access to free recruitment services.”
Goodwill’s core mission includes recruitment and training services, which are currently largely performed remotely. In 2019, they helped 11,676 people connect with an employer and hosted 583 job fairs.
Given the ongoing pandemic, Emanuel stresses that Goodwill continues to enforce the use of masks, physical distancing and other security measures in stores. They also limit the donation of certain items, especially wet items.
“We are awaiting orders from (Washington) Governor (Jay) Inslee,” Emanuel said of her security protocols. “But we’re excited to announce that thanks to the support of Clark County and our Oregon community, we’ve been slowly bringing our payroll back, which is really good.”
Click here for details on the company’s ongoing response to COVID-19.