The Great Recession meant lost jobs, shrinking incomes, and uncertainty for millions of Americans. While struggling families faced tough decisions like how to pay the rent or cover other basic expenses like buying school supplies for their kids, one thing many of them didn’t have to worry about was keeping food on the table each day.
READ MORE from Over Half a Million Americans Losing Food Assistance This Year
I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who wasn’t absolutely charmed by at least one particular species of animal. Some identify as “cat people”, some as “dog people”, but most individuals seem to go gaga for basically any furry animal. Other critters, too, manage to fly, swim, or scamper into the hearts of humans without a whole lot of effort. There’s just some innate connection we feel with the other members of the animal kingdom that makes us want to include them in our lives. Today I want to celebrate that friendship, and what better way than by sharing some incredible Goodwill finds?
Goodwill® has provided job training and employment services since its founding more than 100 years ago. That is the heart of what we do to help Americans get back on track in good times and bad. However, there is more to what we do than helping someone who is out of work gain the skills they need to find a job. A job is just the beginning because for a lot of us, financial skills and security are just as important, especially when times are tough.
READ MORE from Leveling the Financial Playing Field for Everyone
On my way into work this morning, I made my usual stop at Dunkin’ Donuts and bought a medium $2.11 cup of coffee for the hour ride into work. At 7:08 am, I had already spent more money on a cup of coffee than many individuals in America have available to spend in an entire day. I was thinking about this more, having just read $2.00 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, by professors Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer. $2.00 A Day is readable, understandable and enlightening.
I was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that caused pressure on my optic nerve, and I have been visually impaired most of my life. As a young man in the late 1970s, I enrolled in a work training program at Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa (Des Moines). I was hired as a dishwasher at the Iowa State Capitol, where I worked for 14 years. I later worked for the Iowa Department for the Blind for two years. But then I did not work for a period of about 10 years.
Every March 17, I wake up, head to my closet to get dressed, and I’m surprised to see that there is not a green shirt in sight. “Ugh, that’s right!” I’ll remember, with frustration, thinking about how my lack of planning will get me pinched repeatedly throughout the day. How could I have let this happen again? You see, green just doesn’t look great on me and the other 364 days of the year pass perfectly fine without my incorporating green into my wardrobe. Then comes St. Patrick’s Day and I remember how I promised myself the previous year that I would just get something green to wear for one day to avoid all of the pain.
Every March 17, I wake up, head to my closet to get dressed, and I’m surprised to see that there is not a green shirt in sight. “Ugh, that’s right!” I’ll remember, with frustration, thinking about how my lack of planning will get me pinched repeatedly throughout the day. How could I have let this happen again? You see, green just doesn’t look great on me and the other 364 days of the year pass perfectly fine without my incorporating green into my wardrobe. Then comes St. Patrick’s Day and I remember how I promised myself the previous year that I would just get something green to wear for one day to avoid all of the pain.
Each year the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program puts billions of dollars back in the pockets of low-income taxpayers nationwide. The VITA program is an IRS program designed to help low and moderate-income taxpayers complete their annual tax returns at no cost. The program was originally founded in 1971 and the concept is to provide local taxpayers with free tax return preparation by accounting students, in effort to provide both a valuable community service and a powerful hands-on learning experience for the accounting students. The program grew from a small group of dedicated accounting students to what is now a nationwide program that serves millions of taxpayers.
READ MORE from Help Hardworking Americans Receive Tax Returns on March 15
At Goodwill Industries International, we believe that having a job is not enough. The path to self-sufficiency and financial independence requires more than just a paycheck. One of our primary focuses, financial coaching, has taken the asset building world by storm in the last decade. There are several characteristics associated with a successful coaching relationship.
READ MORE from Could Your Financial Success Begin with a Coach?
As you count down the months you have left before baby arrives, you’re probably watching your bank account get smaller, too. It’s remarkable how much stuff babies need, am I right? Of course some of it seems unnecessary at the out-start, but in my experience, if it buys mom and dad even three minutes of quiet to sit down, prepare a meal, or use the bathroom, then it’s worth every penny. Still, splurging on all new gear would be a serious budget buster so thrifty parents turn to our old friend Goodwill®.
READ MORE from Great Expectations: Baby Prep Goodwill® Style
