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San Diego Downtown News April 2020
DowntownBriefs GOODWILL SAN DIEGO ASKS COMMUNITY TO HOLD DONATIONS UNTIL NONPROFIT REOPENS
Goodwill San Diego is asking community members to save their donations until the nonprofit reopens. At this time, community members are leaving their donations at temporarily closed donation centers and retail locations, creating a pile-up of product, looting, and a safety hazard.
In compliance with state and local orders for non-essential businesses to cease operations, Goodwill San Diego closed its clearance centers, donation centers, retail stores, and community employment centers in the county last week. “We are incredibly grateful for a community that has supported our organization and mission for 90 years. Temporarily closing our operation has been incredibly difficult,” shared Toni Giffin, president and CEO. “As instructed, and to protect the health and safety or our
ambassadors (employees) and our community, we are complying with the governor’s orders. We want to do everything we can to reduce the amount of COVID-19 cases in our community. It is my hope that our community members will honor our actions and hold on to their donations until we reopen when we will need them urgently, and thankfully receive them at that time.” Goodwill San Diego and many other local nonprofit organizations will need the community’s support in the days ahead. Goodwill relies on the sale of sellable household goods, clothing, furniture, home décor and other donations to fund its mission. Goodwill uses the revenue from donations to provide training and employment opportunities to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. In 2019, Goodwill San Diego helped more than 6,000 people in the community with their job search. The nonprofit’s five Community Employment Centers in the county provide one-on-one free job search assistance and soft skill workshops about workplace communication, interview preparation, online job application, resumes, and computer basics. Goodwill San Diego employs over 1,400 San Diego County residents, the majority of whom are not working at this time but are being paid for a minimum of two weeks. Nearly 50 percent are a person
NEWS with a disability or other barrier to employment including seniors, young adults, veterans, the unsheltered, military families, people reintegrating into our community from incarceration, and others. In addition, Goodwill San Diego is the county’s largest retail employer of people with developmental disabilities. Goodwill retail stores are known for providing quality used merchandise. This includes clothing, shoes, accessories, home décor, housewares, and furniture. Electronics and sporting goods are available at select locations. Shopping is available online at shopgoodwill.com.
LOCAL WOMEN DONNED THE SAME DRESS FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE DAYS TO SHED LIGHT ON POVERTY CHALLENGES IN THE COMMUNITY The Junior League of San Diego (Junior League) hosted its fourth annual Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI) from March 9-13. The social media-fueled fundraising campaign raised $5,795 and 10 bags of clothing to support access to resources for transition-age foster youth, so they can approach opportunities with confidence. Nearly 40 Junior League volunteers donned the same black dress and shared on their social media channels to raise awareness around the effects poverty can have on a women’s access to resources and help drive online donations.
sdnews.com “This is our fourth year of starting the conversation around this difficult topic, and I’m so proud of not only the statistical achievements of our efforts, but how far and wide the message has spread,” said Emily Green Lake, president of Junior League of San Diego “With any initiative, the goal is to create a conversation around important issues and our team of volunteers has done a great job of bringing awareness to the poverty challenges in our community.” The original Little Black Dress Initiative was launched in February 2014 by The Junior League of London. Since 2017, the Junior League of San Diego has raised over $21,000 and over 65 bags of clothing have been donated because of this initiative.
SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL WALK FOR ANIMALS San Diego Humane Society has announced that its 26th annual Walk for Animals – San Diego will be a virtual event this year. On May 2, the organization will feature virtual versions of Walk for Animals traditions, including live pancake demonstrations, a blessing of the animals, adoptable animals and more. The decision to shift the event, which is one of SDHS’s biggest fundraisers of the year, to an
online experience was made in response to California’s ‘Stay at Home’ order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. The walk typically attracts more than 5,000 attendees.
“This is the first time in 26 years that participants won’t be walking together,” said SDHS president and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman. “It was a difficult decision, but we remain committed to creating a more humane San Diego for animals in need. Compassion is more important than ever. Although we’re separated by distance, we hope this virtual event will inspire our community to make a lifesaving difference for animals in need.” Registration for the virtual event is free. Participants will receive custom Walk for Animals resources designed to help them fundraise to support San Diego Humane Society’s work. On May 2, participants are invited to tune in on social media for the virtual event, and then show their support by walking in their own way: SEE NEWS BRIEFS, Page 8