Fresno State student Jadee Mejorado volunteered to help collect
clothing donations at the Goodwill booth located in the Free
Speech Area. She is one of several students from USU Productions
who volunteered with Goodwill this week.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian

Goodwill has begun its public awareness movement, which focuses on the importance of donating items and the positive impact donations have on people and the environment.

Goodwill was able to open a new store location due to the successfulness and high amounts of revenue generated last year, and has teamed up with Fresno State once again.­ The goal is to exceed the totals achieved in last years event.

The “Donate Movement” clothing drive hopes to receive thousands of donations­ including gently used clothing, shoes, furniture and any other household items. Monetary donations can also be made via the Internet or in person at a Goodwill store.

Large donation quantities help provide job training skills and placement services within the Goodwill industry.

Earl Brown, who deals with community affairs for Goodwill in the San Joaquin Valley, works to spread the word and get school organizations to participate. Brown explains the objective is to bring awareness about the “Donate Movement” and what it is about.

“We are partnering with the University Student Union (USU) and with the Craig School of Business through service learning and creating a clothing drive,” Brown said. “We also want to encourage people to be on the lookout for the donate icon.”

The “Donate Movement” logo features the letter “D” with arrows around it, similar to the “recycle” logo. Goodwill has partnered up with businesses such as Gap, Levi’s and Planet Green.­ The logo symbolizes what items can be donated.

This year, a USU production has helped create strategies and is planning a campaign to promote donations and participation from students and student organizations on the Fresno State campus.

Kao Sheng Moua, a senior at Fresno State, participated in the movement last fall through a service-learning project and encourages students to become involved this year.

“As students, we were just trying to get our project done but we really understood Goodwill’s goal and its contributions,” Moua said.

Last year, a trailer was parked in lot V, on the corner of Woodrow and Shaw Avenues, and was accessible to students as a place to drop off their donations. The drive was such a success that Goodwill was able to open a brand new store.

This year, the trailer is parked in the same spot and additional Goodwill bins are located in the Free Speech platform area.

Shawna Blair, the program and events coordinator for the USU Productions, aims to reach Goodwill’s goals as well’ as bring awareness to students.

“We want to fill at least one trailer with clothes and household items,” Blair said.

The clothing drive began Monday, Oct. 24 and will continue to collect donations through Friday, Oct. 28.