More than 2.1 million pounds of gently used clothing and textiles collected during the Spring Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale will enable Goodwill stores to significantly ramp up its employment placement and training services.
During the sale, which ran from March 12 to March 28, shoppers at Bon-Ton stores donated clothing, shoes, handbags and household goods to 270 retail locations, including Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers sites.
Donated items are then sold in Goodwill stores, and revenue backs employment placement, training and community services, including career counseling, childcare, financial education, mentoring and transportation.
Part of Goodwill’s mission centers on helping people with disabilities, people needing education and work experience, and individuals who are unemployed or underemployed secure jobs.
During the spring collection drive, Bon-Ton shoppers could also support Goodwill with cash contributions. Cash donations totaled $492,000, and along with clothing donations, will allow Goodwill to facilitate an estimated 300,000 hours of job training services for job seekers struggling to find sustainable work.
“For more than 20 years, Goodwill has been proud to partner with Bon-Ton to bring opportunities to people in more communities,” Jim Gibbons, president and chief executive officer of Goodwill Industries International, said in a statement. “We are grateful for their customers’ donations and the philanthropic commitment of the Bon-Ton Stores to helping people in our local communities.”
“The Bon-Ton Goodwill Sale has been a time-honored tradition for Bon-Ton customers for more than two decades,” said Kathryn Bufano, president and CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “With the generosity of our customers, this charitable event has made a huge local impact to help fund Goodwill’s job placement and training services which help strengthen our community.”
In exchange for their generosity, shoppers who made donations to the drive received coupons they could redeem for new fashion and home merchandise purchases at Bon-Ton stores.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. has headquarters in Milwaukee and York, Pa.
