Volunteering is an admirable activity any day of the year. Working with youth, animals or underprivileged communities can not only bring about meaningful impacts but feels great too! One of the biggest volunteer days of the year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is coming up and is a great opportunity to give back to the community—and a way to jumpstart your 2019 with a commitment to volunteerism.

There are lots of local organizations in need of helping hands, including the Goodwill Donation Center, one mile from your The Isle apartment. The donation center is where staff and volunteers process and sort the countless items Goodwill sells in its local thrift stores. Each day, the center accepts donations of furniture, clothing, toys, household goods, books and much more, which all need to be catalogued and categorized in order for resale. Once the items reach the shelves, proceeds from their sale help Goodwill to meet its mission of connecting people with unique needs with job opportunities.

We’ve all likely visited a local Goodwill, scouring shelves for new décor for our The Isle apartment, grabbing some discounted clothing items or getting lost in the books section. Now’s your chance to see the innerworkings of such a huge operation, while also supporting its admirable mission. If you’re good at organizing, this is an opportunity for you!

Whether you’re interested in a one-day activity to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or want to develop a long-term volunteer relationship, explore the volunteering opportunities at the Goodwill Donation Center. Even if you’re strapped for time and can’t schedule in a volunteer slot at the center, the organization is always in need of clothing, home goods and other items to re-sell, so consider organizing a donation drive among your friends or co-workers (or rooting through your closets at your The Isle apartment to amass your own donations!).

Volunteering costs you nothing but just a little bit of time and energy—but the rewards you get back will keep giving.

Goodwill Donation Center

5400 Ridge Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19128

856-439-0200