Goodwill Industries of San Francisco San Mateo and Marin was founded over 80 years ago as one of the original recyclers. Its mission was to take used clothing and household goods from wealthier households in the City, and refurbish them for re-use or re-sale to poorer parts of the community. Important to the process, Goodwill would hire citizens from these very same communities to do the work of mending clothes and refurbishing, leading to the slogan "a hand up, not a hand out…"

Today, Goodwill Industries has drastically improved the lives of thousands of disadvantaged people in the greater Bay Area and San Mateo County. Their employment opportunities can be a critical bridge between difficult circumstances and steady income to support families. And with money earned through retail sales, fundraisers and donations, Goodwill has been able to provide affordable clothing, low cost automobiles, and household goods to those who often find it difficult to obtain such necessities.

There are five Goodwill locations in San Mateo County, in South San Francisco, Daly City, Burlingame, San Mateo, and Menlo Park. There are a number of other ways to get involved with Goodwill.

Donate used goods to retail stores for resale. Goodwill has a number of drop-off locations in San Mateo County. In addition, they offer a service several times a year in which participants put articles of clothing into a bag and leave it outside their house to be picked up by a Goodwill employee or volunteer.

Host a Donation Drive in your office or organization in order to promote team spirit and your organization’s commitment to public services. This clothing donation drive would only last 2 weeks and everything would be provided for by the Goodwill Industries. Supplies such as an outreach template, donation containers, etc. would be both picked up and dropped off by Goodwill.

Goodwill also makes it easy for one to recycle electronics.

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