77,760 pounds collected for Goodwill
Over 12,000 people came out in support of Goodwill during the Bergner’s Goodwill Sale, with donations up 17% from the same event last spring. Shoppers at five area Bergner’s stores gave 77,760 pounds of gently used items to Goodwill in exchange for Bergner’s coupons. In conjunction with the 12 day event, Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois also provided coupons to donors choosing to drop off items at a convenient Goodwill store or donation center. Goodwill stores are located on War Memorial and Pioneer Parkway in Peoria, East Peoria, Canton, Kewanee, Galesburg and Pekin. Donation centers are located in Chillicothe, Morton, and Peoria.
Duffy Armstrong, Director of Development especially enjoyed how much the people genuinely liked Goodwill. Among the mothers and their children, single men and women, to the couples who approached the Goodwill truck, many had stories to tell. One gentleman who donates and also shops at Goodwill commented that he has to be careful not to buy back his own items. Another woman had her husband’s favorite shirt in the pile, eliciting a promise from Scott Jenkins, Director of Operations, not to tell. A husband and wife donated so much to the Grand Prairie store that they received 300 coupons. The outpouring of generosity from the community will help change the lives of many people.
Revenues from the sale of used clothing, household goods, furniture, vehicles and other items help fund the agency’s mission to improve the economic self-sufficiency of individuals and families through the dignity and power of work. Goodwill currently serves 18 counties in central Illinois. Programs offered include job training, career and vocational services, the Goodwill Home for Veterans, as well as the Community Closet.
Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois, Inc. 2319 East War Memorial Drive • Peoria, Illinois 61614-8014 • (309) 682-1113
