Goodwill to hold final donation event ahead of Pottstown store opening

POTTSTOWN — Work continues on the new Goodwill Keystone Area retail store scheduled to open next month at the Pottstown Plaza shopping center.

In preparation, Goodwill Keystone Area will hold its final donation drive and hiring event at the store on Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The donation drive will be held in the parking lot of the center, 799 N. State St.

On-site for the event will be Goodwill’s donation trailer. The first 50 donors will receive a $5 Goodwill gift card along with a reusable Goodwill shopping bag.

Two previous events in January and February were impacted by winter weather events. In a press release, the organization said it is “optimistic that the improved weather forecast for Saturday will motivate residents to stop by to support Goodwill’s final push for donations ahead of the store opening.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service was forecasting sunshine for Saturday and a high temperature of 60 degrees.

Goodwill will also hold a hiring event on Saturday to fill openings at the Pottstown store and other locations. Those looking for full- and part-time opportunities can stop by Goodwill’s temporary space located next to Domino’s in the Pottstown Plaza. Interested candidates can complete an application and be considered for an on-the-spot interview.

For those that miss Saturday’s hiring event, Goodwill representatives will be accepting applications during the week, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Pottstown Plaza temporary space.

Items that Goodwill can accept include: antiques and collectibles; art; books; CDs, records, videos and DVDs; clothing; footwear; games and toys; housewares; jewelry and accessories; linens and rugs; musical instruments; outerwear; sports equipment; and more. Visit yourgoodwill.org/donate/where-how for a full list of items Goodwill does and does not accept.

Goodwill plans to use 20,000 of the property’s 26,000 square feet of space for the sales floor, with the rest of the space designated for production space and donor drop-off, according to Mark McGaffin, director of communications and marketing for Goodwill Keystone Area.

This is the third donation event that has been held at the new Pottstown location. Items donated during the event will be transported to Goodwill’s warehouse in Reading and may be distributed to the Pottstown store or others, McGaffin added.

The new store marks a return to the Pottstown area by Goodwill Keystone Area. Goodwill had previously operated a store in Pottstown from 1996 to early 2011 at the Pottstown Center off Shoemaker Road.

Proceeds from the sale of donated items support mission programs that help people with barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow their careers.