By Carolyn Dun
Do you wonder where discarded items often go? Landfill.
A newer nonprofit in Illinois has a unique proposition that redistributes goods from donors to the nonprofits that need them. GiveNKind offers a way to collect and warehouse gently used individual items or large quantities of new items from cancelled orders, surplus, or abandoned goods.
So far, GiveNKind has placed over $1,300,000 worth of goods with nonprofits.
I first learned about GiveNKind at our recent Community Purse meeting. Community Purse Lake County is a giving circle which combines individual donations into one large grant. GiveNKind received our most recent grant and we were excited to hear of the connections between GiveNKind and some of our other member-nominated nonprofits. For example, GiveNKind donated items to one of the nonprofits at our last meeting and to all 3 of the nonprofits at our next meeting.
- New swimsuits, sizes infant to adult XL, were given to the YWCA Lake County for use this summer for special events at pools and for health programs.
- Jump ropes were given to Roberti Community House to start a heart healthy habits program.
- Self-care and cosmetic packages went to The Community Works.
- Dishwashing soap, fabric softener, and office furniture were donated to PADS Lake County.
Our giving circle provided a grant to GiveNKind for $12,500. The funds will be used to find a larger warehouse space to better serve nonprofits. They will be able to take in more donations, implement an inventory system, and have a larger space for volunteers.
GiveNKind has digital ways to connect their donated goods with nonprofits during the Covid-19 pandemic. Are you interested in helping? They have nonprofit partners across the country that are listed on their website. Are you a nonprofit looking to add to this list? Please email [email protected] for more details.
At Community Purse, we understand that women want to make a difference, but have limited time. Would you like to connect with like-hearted women and help people who are hurting? Learn more about our nonprofit at www.communitypurse.org.
Featured Online: https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20200417/local-organizations-doing-good-during-the-pandemic