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Tag: Goodwill

  • Goodwill: Grenade Found In Collection Box

    Goodwill: Grenade Found In Collection Box

    Someone took the gift of giving to bizarre heights in Winston-Salem, NC this past week. They nearly gave a bunch of Goodwill employees a heart attack in the process.

    According to Winston-Salem Police, this past Thursday they responded to a call from the local Goodwill where an employee said they discovered a grenade in a collection box. They arrived at the location shortly after 9 AM, by which time the device was out of the box and on a desk.

    For some reason, it took employees a week to get around to informing law enforcement of the discovery. Maybe they were under the impression it was a paper weight? Whatever the case, it finally occurred to someone that a well meaning do-gooder might have dropped off a dangerous weapon, making it a matter for the authorities to sort out.

    Once the police had determined that the grenade was real, members of the Winston-Salem Police Department’s Hazardous Device Unit were brought in. They secured the grenade and took it to the department’s hazardous device disposal area. There they determined that it was indeed live and was very dangerous.

    Soon after the grenade was detonated and rendered safe.

    The employees at the Goodwill have no idea who brought the item in, and the Winston-Salem Police Department is asking that anyone with any information contact the department at (336) 773-7700.

    There’s no word as to whether or not this situation is related to a similar event that happened at a nearby Goodwill back in 2010. At the Peters Creek Parkway Goodwill Store, employees were unaware that there was a grenade in the store until a customer tried to purchase it. The Bomb Squad was brought in to examine the grenade, which was determined to be inert and non-explosive.

    To the well intentioned grenade owner, there are many things that it would be great to donate to a Goodwill. A grenade? Not one of them.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Charitable Donations: Get Deductions at No Cost

    The gifts have been bought and the festivities are upon us. Don’t worry If you’re a bit tapped out but still wish to join folks making their last charitable donations of 2013; there’s always a way. Here are two ways to make a charitable donation without using actual money:

    Habitant for Humanity is a favorite non-profit organization among volunteers who wish to put in some old-fashioned Umph Work for those who need it most. Habitant for Humanity accepts monetary donations, but they also greatly appreciate donated building materials, appliances, and furniture. Habitant for Humanity is affiliated with a large number of “ReStores” in the country to receive these items, and their site provides a searchable list for to find one near you. Habitant for Humanity is most widely known for its programs specifically designed volunteers to give them the opportunity to maintain, build and rebuild homes for the needy with their own two hands. There is often no shortage of those who need this help, especially during the winter months.

    December is a great time to clean out your household’s closet to make room for recent purchases. Instead of cluttering up your closet, attic and storage with clothes, donate them to someone who needs them. That sweater that you loved three years ago that doesn’t seem to go with any of your favorite shoes anymore could be the best thing anyone has ever seen in a consignment shop. Your kid’s outgrown clothes are in high demand; someone a couple sizes smaller than them now will love that Batman t-shirt as much as they did. Pack it all up and bring it to your local Salvation Army, Goodwill or Vietnam Veterans of America to make a tax-deductible charitable donation that takes no money out of your pocket.

    ‘Tis the season to give, and it doesn’t just stop on 25th. Take advantage of these last few days of the year to help someone in need while maximizing your charity tax deduction– a win/win situation.

    Image via Youtube

  • Lady & The Tramp Movie Poster Found at Goodwill Worth $53,900

    Imagine you’re browsing through Goodwill, looking for some deals, then dropping $4.99 on a movie poster. Then discovering that your purchase is worth $53,900 in mint condition. For Tom Glenn, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, this story was an actual reality. He was browsing through his local Goodwill when he noticed an old-school styled Lady & The Tramp movie poster. At the time, Glenn didn’t know he was in the possession of an original copy.

    Which he would later discover has the potential to be worth $53,900.

    KMSP-TV

    Glenn frequents his local Goodwill regularly, but even he couldn’t have anticipated this sort of payday. He even admits that he didn’t think it was an original when he dropped five dollars on it, “This wasn’t looked at as a true investment. It was, ‘Hey! It’s there. I’ll grab it; see what happens”

    He took the poster to an antique store in Chicago, where he discovered that his poster was genuine original. The poster had some wear and tear, not in mint condition, so he was told that he could sell it for anywhere between $20,000 – $40,000. Something tells me Mr. Glenn will be perfectly fine with that haul.

    [H/T: MyFoxTwinCities]

  • Prehistoric Artifact: Native American Pottery Donated to Goodwill

    Prehistoric Artifact: Native American Pottery Donated to Goodwill

    Prehistoric artifact or interesting knick-knack? An anonymous donor dropped off a piece of pottery to Goodwill that some believe is, in fact, an artifact from a Native American tribe that once called Oklahoma their home. The pottery traveled through Goodwill’s internal distribution system — in one piece, no less — before showing up in New York.

    How do people know this piece is actually a relic from long ago? Apparently someone found a note inside the pottery which read, “Found in a burial mound near Spiro Oklahoma in 1970″. It’s being speculated that it could be thousands of years old. How this thing survived being put through the organization’s system is anyone’s guess.

    “We’re pretty amazed that the thing wasn’t (a) broken or (b) just thrown out,” a representative from Goodwill said in a recent interview. Considering the condition of some of the items I’ve seen at area Goodwill stores, I’m surprised the pottery made it out alive.

    Goodwill, being the kind and gracious organization that it is, has agreed to return the piece to the Caddo Indian Nation. “Once we were alerted to what it was, there was no doubt that we were happy to donate it back to them,” they said in a prepared statement.

    There’s a lesson to be learned here, folks. Make sure any items you donate to Goodwill aren’t historical artifacts. And, no, your old New Kids on the Block t-shirts don’t count.

  • Give Your Stuff Away on the New Startup Givmo

    Like so many people, you are probably doing a little spring cleaning this time of year. And like so many, you are probably wondering what to do with all your old junk.

    That is where Givmo comes into play. Givmo is like Goodwill for the digital age. Just log onto their site, post pictures of the junk you want to give way, and the stuff you no longer have use for goes to a good home.

    The startup was introduced by software engineer Dustin Byrne, who moved from job to job after college and never knew what to do with the stuff he never used. He introduced Givmo last year as a way to remedy the situation.

    Here is an example of how it works: You buy a new pair of swell slacks. You go on a diet and now longer fit into said slacks. What do you do? You barely wore the pants before your diet, so they’re like brand new. You don’t want to be wasteful and throw away new slacks. Selling them on eBay is a hassle, and you probably won’t get much for worn items anyway.

    So you post them on Givmo. Someone sees the slacks you don’t want, and decides he’d put them to good use. The buyer pays for shipping. A prepaid label is printed on your computer, and you send the item off with the morning mail.

    You get rid of the stuff you don’t need, someone else gets something they do need at low cost. Givmo makes money from a small commission (less than a dollar) and discounts they get from UPS on shipping. They give a dollar to charity. Overflowing landfills get one less piece of junk. It’s socially responsible ecommerce, and everybody wins.

    Givmo has been somewhat slow to take off, Byrne said via Mashable. “It’s not enough to pay the bills on its own, but hopefully with volume it will get there.”

    After checking out Givmo, I’ve noticed that the shipping is steep according to their calculator (about $12 to $14 for almost every item on there, including a collectible PEZ dispenser at the higher end of that scale.) I’m not exactly sure what’s going on here. If Givmo only takes a dollar and a dollar goes to charity, it still should not cost $12 dollars to ship a pez dispenser within the U.S. By comparison, a 16 lbs. bowling ball on the site costs about $15 to ship. I’m not sure if this is a shipping calculator malfunction or the actual cost, but be careful if you decide you want something. Make sure the item is even worth the shipping cost.

  • Goodwill Launches Job Training Campaign On eBay

    The Goodwill said today it is launching a fundraising campaign on eBay to help people find and keep jobs.

    In partnership with eBay Giving Works, eBay’s charity fundraising program, from February 7 to 13, Goodwill will be a featured nonprofit on eBay, offering people the opportunity to buy, sell or donate to support Goodwill’s job training programs. Dress for Success and the National Federation of the Blind will also be featured in February as part of the same campaign.

     

    eBay-Goodwill

     

    "We work with thousands of entrepreneurial nonprofits that are exploring unique ways to reach new supporters and raise funds online, with Goodwill and its agencies being one of eBay’s biggest success stories, having raised about $8.5 million from the eBay community," said Amy Skeeters-Behrens, head of eBay Giving Works.

    "At a time when jobs are still scarce, we hope that the ‘Workin’ It’ campaign will remind our community of Goodwill’s mission and tremendous work in helping employ people who face major challenges and help generate the funds to enable Goodwill to serve more people than ever before."

    In 2010, Goodwill generated more than $25 million in online sales, including $4.4 million through eBay Giving Works. Since the eBay Giving Works program was created in 2003, the eBay community has raised $230 million for U.S. and U.K. charities, and currently lists more than 650,000 charity items on the marketplace, all designated with a blue and yellow ribbon.