More than 450 students from Clear Creek Elementary, including first-grader Oksana Rizhkova, brought donations for Goodwill to school and filled up a trailer. The drive took place October 19 and 20.

Schools, communities and businesses are stepping up to help Goodwill meet the need in our community by hosting donation drives across Charlotte. In September and October, 10 donation drives generated thousands of items for Goodwill’s retail stores. With record numbers of people turning to Goodwill for help finding a job, the sale of donations play a critical role in helping fund the agency’s job training and employment programs.

On October 19-20, Clear Creek Elementary School in East Charlotte hosted a two-day drive, filling a trailer. Also, five companies from the International Business Park in Concord (Sysco, DNP IMS America, Oiles America, Pass & Seymour, and PreGel) banded together to host a Goodwill drive. In South Charlotte on October 17, residents from four subdivisions filled a Goodwill truck parked at the Bishop’s Ridge clubhouse in three hours.

“The community is really showing they care about helping get people back to work,” said Bo Hussey, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. “We love these drives because they are organized by the schools, businesses and neighborhoods themselves. It’s a grass-roots commitment to our community.”

Cornelius Elementary School will host a school-wide donation drive on Monday & Tuesday, October 26 & 27. The school is located at 21126 Catawba Avenue. The donation trailer will be staffed by a Goodwill team member and parent volunteers from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The community is welcome to come by and make donations. Through the donation drive, students will learn how their donations make an impact in their community and the environment. For many students, this will be their first Goodwill donation experience.

On Halloween, Lamar Companies will be hosting two donation drives at its shopping centers in Rock Hill and Pineville. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a Goodwill trailer will be parked at the Market on Cherry Road (2349 Cherry Road in Rock Hill). The first 50 people to make a donation to Goodwill will receive a coupon for a free six-inch Subway sandwich. In Pineville from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., a Goodwill trailer will be parked at the Pineville Towne Market (311 S. Polk Street). The first 50 people to make a donation will receive a $10 Food Lion gift card.

On November 14, the Charlotte Junior Chamber will be sponsoring an electronics recycling drive in support of Goodwill. Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted computers and electronics to any Goodwill location. In addition, a Goodwill trailer will accept electronics from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Park Road Shopping Center, located at Park and Woodlawn in Charlotte.

For more information about holding a donation drive or for the donation location nearest you, visit www.goodwillsp.org or call 704 372-3434.