Several Goodwill Locations Accepting Donations Again, But Asks to Hold On to Items for Now

Several Goodwill locations in San Diego County will begin to accept donations as of Wednesday under new guidelines, but it urges residents to hold off on the donations for now since the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to be short-staffed.

The thrift store said seven locations in the county will be accepting donations via bins outside that are organized by item, according to Darlene Cossio of Goodwill Industries of San Diego County. Although the bins will be placed for donations, Cossio urges residents to hold on to their items and only drop them off if absolutely necessary.

“There are a few different reasons. One is resources; we don’t have the manpower right now to process donations and the other is the holding capacity,” Cossio told NBC 7. “So when you bring your generous donations, we’re able to sell it in our retail store and make room for more donations. Right now, our retail stores are closed so we don’t have that opportunity to sell the donations.”

Goodwill of San Diego is working hard to get its stores reopened but in the meantime, it’s offering free online workshops for job-seekers. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford has more details.

“We never want to say no so we’re asking to please save them until we can open our stores,” she said.

Those who feel they must drop off their donations are encouraged to sort their items ahead of time so they can have an easier time placing them in the appropriate bin. Clothes, shoes and small appliances are among the list of items that are accepted.

Cossio said a variety of items will not be accepted, such as: mattresses, large appliances, weapons and ammunition, paint, light bulbs and batteries and used cosmetics or toiletries.

The following locations are accepting donations from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily:

Bonita – 2300 Sweetwater Rd.;
Carmel Valley – 12791 Sorrento Valley Rd.;
Encinitas – 710 La Costa Ave.;
Lakeside – 12522 Mapleview St.;
Mira Mesa – 9756 Mira Mesa Blvd.;
Oceanside College – 3978 Haymar Dr.;
Point Loma – 3663 Rosencrans St. (the only location accepting furniture)

Goodwill has been considering ways to keep patrons safe once it is ready to reopen. Measures include having a safeguard for cashiers, one-way aisles, mandatory masks for everyone in stores and monitoring the occupancy of each location.