Sun staff
A new Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries donation center was recently set up in front of the New Richmond Rivertown IGA.
The donation center, which opened on Oct. 3 in the parking lot of the grocery store, located at 1041 state Route 52, is the first of its kind in the New Richmond area, according to a press release.
“We are pleased and more than happy to be part of the New Richmond community,” said Sharon Hannon, marketing manager for Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries.
The donation center, which is open Sunday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., accepts a wide range of items, including clothing and accessories, linens, household items, small appliances, electronics, flat screen televisions and computer monitors, furniture, books, records and tapes.
The on-site attendant is available to assist with donations and provide a receipt as needed.
The opening of the donation center is a result of Goodwill’s successful involvement in this year’s River Days Festival, which was held Aug. 19-21. Festival organizers and members of the village council invited the organization to open a temporary donation center on Aug. 20 as part of the “New Richmond Cares” initiative.
“We were requested and invited to be part of the community by the community council, and we’re delighted to have that happen,” Hannon said.
Shortly after the festival, discussions began and, subsequently, an agreement was reached about Goodwill establishing a more permanent location, according to a press release.
The new donation center is set to be open indefinitely, according to Hannon.
“As long as New Richmond and the community support us, we will be more than happy to be there,” she said, adding that things have been going “very well so far.”
Donations to Ohio Valley Goodwill, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, help put veterans and people with disabilities to work, according to a press release.
“The thing I like about the Goodwill is that not only are we doing something for others, but for the people that live in the village, at no cost to them, they can drop off whatever they don’t want at any time,” Mary Allen, councilwoman, said during the council’s regular meeting on Oct. 11. “It’s a good thing for us from an economic development standpoint, but it is also a service to the community; I hope it continues to do well.”
Allen and some of her colleagues on the village council are optimistic that the donation center’s continued success may lead to the opening of a permanent Goodwill store in New Richmond.
“We continue to hope that if we get sufficient levels of donations, they will very seriously consider putting a store in New Richmond; that’s our goal,” Allen said.
“That would be fabulous,” Richard Feldkamp, councilman, said.
Hannon would not speak to details of the strategy other than to say that the planning of new stores is part of Goodwill’s “long-term, long-range planning.”
“Even if that were to be the case, that is in the distance,” she added.
For a complete list of items accepted by Goodwill, visit their website www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate.