Goodwill to Participate in Earth Day Collection Events

FORT MYERS, Fla. - April 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. will be celebrating Earth Day by participating in two community donation drives; one in Charlotte County and the other in Collier County.

“These community donation drives are a great way to donate your items,” says Goodwill’s Director of Sustainability Jennifer Nelson. “We are working together to keep things out of the landfills. That’s important, especially in areas like Southwest Florida.”

The Collier County Earth Day event will take place April 22 in front of Goodwill’s Retail & Donation Center at Towne Center (3759 Tamiami Trail East, Naples) from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Goodwill will be on-site collecting textiles, shoes, housewares, electronics, and will also be collecting paper for its Secure Shred program. Collier County will be collecting hazardous chemicals such as oil, gasoline, and light bulbs while the Collier County Sheriff’s Department will be collecting old medicine as part of Operation Medicine Cabinet. Free state park passes will also be given out by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to all donors and recyclers.

The Charlotte County Earth Day event will take place April 23 at Edison State College campus (26300 Airport Rd., Punta Gorda) from 9:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. Donors are encouraged to bring their gently used textiles, housewares, and electronics for Goodwill, books for Keep Charlotte Beautiful, and paper to be shredded and recyclables (no hazardous materials) for Waste Management.

Items donated to Goodwill will go into Goodwill’s 29 Retail & Donation Centers across Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Glades, and Lee Counties to support the organization’s programs and services.

“All these donations and recyclables go right back into helping Southwest Florida,” says Goodwill spokesperson Madison Mitchell. “These events are the perfect Earth Day celebration because they directly impact our beautiful community.”

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. operates 29 Retail & Donation Centers in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, and Glades counties to provide funding for its mission of helping people with disabilities and disadvantages by providing life-changing opportunities to achieve independence.  Supported programs include Job-Link resource centers, youth mentoring and career guidance, transportation assistance, income-sensitive housing for people with disabilities and senior citizens, and the L.I.F.E. Academy Charter School.

For more information about Goodwill’s programs and services in Southwest Florida, please visit www.goodwillswfl.org