It always makes you feel good when you help out a friend in need, doesn't it?

Well, here's an opportunity to feel good.

You see, Goodwill is in need.

A local member of the Goodwill board of directors gave me a call a while back and told me Goodwill was running behind on donations.

So earlier this week, I gave Larry Neff a call.

Neff is area director for Goodwill Industries, based in South Bend.

He told me the donation business is always cyclical.

"Every January, February and March, donations fall off with wintry weather. People just aren't inclined to clean out closets, garages and basements when it's cold out," he said.

"Usually, we're prepared for it. During strong donation months, we get more than we can use, so we incur the costs of inventory and warehousing to prepare for the slow periods we know are ahead."

Goodwill business is seasonal. They get donations of winter clothes in the spring. Summer items come in the fall.

Last year was different. The strong spring and fall donation months just didn't happen. There are a number of factors that contribute to low donations. The main reason, Neff said, was the economy.

"This is the third year of recession. I think a lot of people are wondering 'How long is this going to go on?' They're thinking, 'Maybe I should hang onto this another season,' where in prior years they would have donated," he said.

Neff said that while warehousing and large inventory are not necessarily the most cost effective ways to do business, it is a necessary component of Goodwill. But right now, the inventory is getting low.

"We just don't have enough in the way of donations to keep people working full time," he said. Some of the more financially stable employees are working short weeks and volunteering to leave early or take time off. This allows others who really need the paycheck to keep working more hours.

During the donation crunch, the local Goodwill has been buying items from other, big city Goodwills in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

"They're in business, too," Neff said. "They're willing to sell it to us."

If you're wondering why they have surpluses and we don't, it's because of the size of the market. They have much larger population bases to draw from.

"They have about the same number of stores, just a couple million more donors," Neff said.

Neff noted that even those markets are starting to dry up because smaller market Goodwills across the nation are also buying from the larger markets.

OK, so Goodwill needs more donations. Who cares? Why is Goodwill important?

"Our mission is to provide jobs, training and placement services for people with disadvantages to employment," Neff said.

Goodwill stores provide the funding to keep those training and job placement services rolling. In addition to 17 retail stores, Goodwill operates 13 vocational service offices in seven different counties. More than 550 employees serve an area from Niles, Mich., to Logansport and from Warsaw to Hammond.

Last year, Goodwill serviced 3,910 clients with training opportunities and placed 892 people into jobs into the community. Before Goodwill, those 892 people were unemployed.

"When you take people who aren't working and put them to work, that's a good thing," Neff said. "The employees we placed in jobs last year generated almost $3 million in taxes paid. That's a good thing for you and me, for the whole community."

See, Goodwill is your friend.

And you can be sure that if you donate, the item will be used wisely.

Goodwill will take any textile item, whether it's clothing, bedding, drapes or towels. They find a market for it, even if it's not in one of their stores. Items damaged or otherwise unsuitable for sale in a Goodwill store are sold to brokers who ship the items overseas.

The salvage market provides needed dollars, even on those unsaleable items.

"If you see a picture of a kid in a third world country with a Notre Dame T-shirt and Adidas shoes, it probably came from Goodwill," Neff said.

Goodwill also can use any household item: Pots, pans, dishes, glassware, small appliances, toys, jewelry, just about anything except large appliances.

Donated items are transported to South Bend where they are sorted and sent out to the stores. The South Bend facility can handle 120,000 garments per day and send 40,000 per day out to the stores.

Gooodwill also is one of the best recyclers in the country.

"If we sell it in a store, it stays out of the landfill. If it doesn't sell, it comes back to South Bend and goes overseas. Nothing is ever wasted," Neff said, adding that everything that isn't sold is recycled - all the glass, metal, paper, even the cardboard boxes that donors drop off.

Goodwill doesn't get any federal or state funding, but the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has recognized Goodwill's recycling prowess. IDEM gave Goodwill a grant to help by equipment.

On a personal note, I am a devoted Goodwill donor and shopper. I love it. It's like a treasure hunt. I bounce around between the Goshen, Elkhart and Warsaw stores when I get the chance. I have found some really amazing stuff. I bought cool old forged-blade golf clubs for a buck and a half apiece. I find all manner of top-label golf shirts like Greg Norman, Cutter and Buck, Ashworth and Izod.

And if you see me around town wearing a long, black and charcoal wool topcoat? Yep, Goodwill. Richman Brothers, perfect condition. $13.99.

How can you beat that?

So go ahead. Rummage though your closet. Fill a box or trash bag with stuff you don't really need - you know you've got a pile of it - and drop it off at a Goodwill store or donation box.

Feel good about yourself today. Help out a friend in need. [[In-content Ad]]