Non-profits still need donations

MARQUETTE– Even though the season of giving is over, local non–profits still need help making sure they can do their jobs and help out the community.

Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University suggest in January through March there is a large drop in donations to non–profits. Even after the holiday season local non–profits need donations to help them stay active in the community. Representatives from local non–profits say that the need in our community is still great.

Brice Burge, Marketing Coordinator for Goodwill Industries said, “We still need apparel; apparel, apparel, apparel is what it comes down to. People are looking for more winter coats, its cold up here in the U.P so that’s always needed. Also this time we see a lot of people done with seasonal employment and are looking to try and get that full time job or more consistent job and so they come in here looking for work interview clothing.”

“Make sure that our food pantry is well stocked; this is a time of great need, especially after the holidays when the need for food is every day,” said St. Vincent De Paul Store Manager Denise Arbelius. “So we make sure that we have plenty on our sales floor to sell so we have plenty to restock our food pantry.”

Besides providing affordable goods to those in need, many non–profits use the money from sales to provide job training or other assistance to those who need it.