Goodwill NYNJ set to reach milestone at 2019 TCS New York City Marathon: 1 million pounds of clothing collected

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwill® Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. (Goodwill NYNJ) is set to reach an important milestone today during the TCS New York City Marathon, one million pounds of clothing collected at the races that New York Road Runners (NYRR) holds in New York City, since 2012. Goodwill NYNJ has partnered with the New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and NYRR for the past seven years to collect the sportswear and other textiles that runners shed at the start line to keep the races sustainable. Goodwill NYNJ will sell the clothing at its 34 area Goodwill stores to create jobs in the New York City metropolitan region.

On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at 3 p.m. EDT  the leaders of the three organizations will announce the grand total of clothing collected during the 7-year partnership at the Goodwill store located at 258 Livingston Street; Brooklyn NY 11201. RSVP and for details, please contact Jose Medellin at jmedellin@goodwillny.org or (718) 371-7251.

"Goodwill NYNJ is excited to team up with the NY Dept. of Sanitation and New York Road Runners to keep the NYC races sustainable and support our mission. Those warm up clothes that were previously going into the trash are now collected to help support residents with disabilities and other barriers to employment," said Katy Gaul-Stigge, Goodwill NYNJ President & CEO. "Repurposing and reusing clothing greatly impact the environment –it's amazing to have collected 1 million pounds by this year– and helps us to fund our job training, job coaches and wellness centers."

"Since 2012, Goodwill NYNJ has led a tremendous effort to collect the items that runners leave behind as they take off from the start of the TCS New York City Marathon and our other marquee events, and finding new homes for them," said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of NYRR. "New York Road Runners is committed to enhancing our year-round sustainability efforts and this partnership is a crucial part of these initiatives."

More than 200 volunteers participated in the annual collection event. The textiles collected will support the broad human services that Goodwill NYNJ provides each year, including coaching, placement, and retention services for 30,000 people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. Last year, Goodwill NYNJ help 2,351 people get jobs, including 843 individuals with disabilities, outside its stores at hospitals, tech firms, and NYC agencies.

Goodwill NYNJ staff stays with workers with disabilities for months, years, or as long as they need. This approach has helped Christian, who went to Goodwill NYNJ nearly 20 years ago, to have a career in retail, the sector of his choice. Goodwill NYNJ helped him get his first job after graduating from high school. At some point, Christian applied to work at a Goodwill store, where he gained work experience. Today, he works at HomeGoods.

Meet Christian in this video.

Goodwill NYNJ also collects textiles at the United Airlines NYC Half and the Popular Brooklyn Half in addition to the TCS New York City Marathon.

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world and the signature event of New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world's premier community running organization. The race is held annually on the first Sunday of November and includes over 50,000 runners, from the world's top professional athletes to runners of all ages and abilities, including over 9,000 charity runners. Participants from over 125 countries tour the diverse neighborhoods of New York City's five boroughs—Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Race morning also features the Rising New York Road Runners Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City Marathon, a race within Central Park that ends at the marathon finish line. More than one million spectators and 10,000 volunteers line the city's streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the globally televised broadcast. The race is a founding member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which features the world's top marathons—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York.  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the premier partner of NYRR and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. The 49th running of the TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 3, 2019. To learn more, visit www.tcsnycmarathon.org.

About Goodwill NYNJ

Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, Inc. (Goodwill NYNJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates 34 retail stores throughout the region powered by donations of clothing and household items. Goodwill NYNJ translates those donations into workforce development services for people with disabilities and the unemployed, and job training leading to employment. Annually, Goodwill NYNJ services build better lives for thousands of New York City Metropolitan Area residents and their families. For over 104 years, the agency's mission has been to empower individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment to gain independence through the power of work. Learn more about Goodwill NYNJ at http://www.goodwillnynj.org; follow us on Twitter: @GoodwillNYNJ; and find us on Facebook or Instagram: GoodwillNYNJ.

Contact: Jose Medellin | jmedellin@goodwillnynj.org | (646) 238-9133 mobile

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