Hillsborough, NJ – September 19, 2023 – Goodwill Industries® of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. (Goodwill NYNJ) held today a grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony with local dignitaries to celebrate the official opening of its Donation Center and small store in Northern New Jersey. Goodwill store is a little different: the small-format store offers a unique selection of pre-loved donated goods that local donors have dropped off, including home décor, books, glassware and other great knick-knacks and doodads. Most importantly, this 2,093-sq-ft Goodwill site serves as a sustainability resource to help residents re-use and re-purpose the clothing and goods they no longer need.
In 2022, Goodwill NYNJ helped people in our region to reuse more than 38 million pounds of pre-loved clothing and home goods, successfully diverting them from the landfills, and saving nearly 57k metric tons of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere. Nearly 1 million people dropped their clothing and goods at Goodwill NYNJ sites in 2022.
The Goodwill Donation Center and small store is located at the shopping plaza at 649 US-206, Hillsborough, NJ 08844. It is open every day from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. This is the second Goodwill location in Somerset County. The other, a traditional Goodwill Store and donation center, is located at 509 West Union Avenue, Bound Brook, NJ 08805.
Americans generate 16 million tons of textile waste each year, reports The US Environmental Protection Agency. But according to GlobalData, as traditional retail continues to lose ground, by 2029, resale will surge past $80 billion in value, outpacing fast fashion’s estimated $43 billion for the first time.
“We designed this new smaller-format Goodwill location to create a space where Central Jersey residents can give a second life to the clothing and goods they no longer need with convenient donations,” said Katy Gaul-Stigge, Goodwill NYNJ President and CEO. “This new idea is a great for donations and doodads.”
Revenue generated in Goodwill’s retail locations, including stores, outlets, attended donation centers, and the online site ShopGoodwill.com/NYNJ, supports the Goodwill NYNJ’s training, job connections, on-the-job coaching, and retention services that support individuals with disabilities and other barriers on their journey to employment and a better life for themselves and their families. Goodwill NYNJ also provides behavioral health services that help individuals with mental health conditions stay healthy, on their jobs, and out of hospitals due to psychiatric crises.
In 2022, Goodwill NYNJ provided services for more than 9,000 people who are under- or unemployed, approximately half of them people with disabilities. In the past year, Goodwill NYNJ placed 1,042 people in new jobs, including 565 individuals with disabilities, a 27% increase from the previous year, outside its stores with employers such as hospitals and health care centers, tech and accounting firms, warehousing and manufacturing sectors, and government agencies.