Shopping And Giving Back To Those In Need

To cut expenses in your family
budget, think about shopping at your local thrift store. With the costs of goods rising every day, most people are
looking for ways to save money on clothing, household items, and home dcor needs. Your budget will go further
when you shop at a thrift store.

Most thrift stores aren't in business just to make money, but usually have a mission
statement that involves helping those in need. When you shop at a thrift store you are doing more than just saving
money. When you donate your gently used items, you are also making a difference in the lives of people in need.
You can trust that the money you spend is used to help others.

Goodwill Industries International, Inc is one of the best known
thrift stores that come to mind. The goal of this organization is to improve the lives of families and
individuals. Their mission also extends to helping the community by providing work for those that need jobs.
Their vision is to see that every person has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential while participating
in every aspect of life.

With a strict set of values, Goodwill places respect at the top of the list. Their goal is to treat every person
with dignity and respect. This includes their employees and those shopping in their establishment. This is a
basic concept that we should all strive to achieve. Goodwill also values learning, challenging everyone to reach a
level of excellence and to continually learn.

Secondly, stewardship is another value they strive to maintain. Goodwill Industries focuses on being socially,
financially, and environmentally responsible. This can't be achieved without honoring the value of ethics as well.
Goodwill sets high ethical standards for those involved with their organization.

Information contained on Goodwill's website shows that job and training
programs were provided to over 2.4 million individuals in 2010. Jobs were obtained with Goodwill by 170,000 of
those people. Providing family and personal support services was another work of the Goodwill foundation, spending
7.5 million dollars on this goal.


Goodwill receives its inventory from
individual donations. In 2010, 74 million people helped the cause by donating items. Revenue of $2.69 billion
dollars was received because of these donations. Programs that directly helped needy individuals received 84% of
this revenue. Goodwill has 2,500 retail locations in the United States. You can also shop their online auction
site.

If you want to give back to
the community and save money, a thrift store is a great place to start. You don't have to travel the world to help
those in need. You can shop right in your own community at your local Goodwill store and provide help to others in
need, and save money for your family. No one is a loser in that scenario.