by Katie Patrick
“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship.”
Inspiring words from St. John Paul II during his visit to the United States in 1987 and a message that has recently become a theme for us at CSS.
Our sustainability project is the last of four initiatives that we are raising funds for in lieu of Give to Lincoln Day. This initiative will be the primary focus for several of us at Catholic Social Services in the coming year.
While I love each and every one of our programs at CSS, I am slightly partial to this particular project. Why? Because every single one of us has the ability to participate in and care for the poorest of the poor and to simultaneously be good stewards of our environment. How? By donating new, gently used, or even worn—yes worn—items to CSS.
How does this sustainability project work?
Our goal at CSS is to extend the life cycle of donated items through regifting, reselling, or recycling. By using the resources given to us in the best possible way, we will be good stewards of all of the donations we receive.
You have no idea how much “stuff” comes to the back of our thrift stores in Lincoln, Hastings, Auburn, and Imperial — and call us crazy, but we want to receive more! Our sustainability initiative will have several stages. The first stage was the launch of our Online Gift & Thrift Store on Facebook Marketplace in April. We are receiving tremendous support by both donors and buyers. You see, sometimes when we receive certain appliances or collectibles or overstuffed couches, it’s not realistic for us to give those items to our clients, but it is awesome when we can sell those items and put the money toward our programming.
The second stage will be the launch of our e-commerce store, which will connect items for sale to different platforms, like eBay. This will be helpful when we receive collectibles and name brand items, etc. The third stage will be an operational audit of our four thrift stores by a company called Upright Labs, which specializes in helping second-hand stores across the country become more efficient and sustainable.
The fourth stage will be the implementation of a diocesan-wide call for donations. We’re still researching what this final stage will look like, so until then, please stay tuned for how you, your parish, and your community can participate. There will be something for everyone!
How does this initiative help the poor and vulnerable families that CSS serves?
When you donate a gently used coat, we may give it directly to one of our clients or we might sell the item at one of our thrift stores, or online. All options help those in need because all of the profit from our sales goes toward our programming, which in turn pays rent and utilities for families in need, purchases new cell phones for women escaping abuse, buys food for our food market, and so much more.
On the flipside, when you donate clothing that is torn or stained, we recycle those clothes. We put them in bales, load a semi truck, and sell the load to the highest bidder. These recycled fabrics are either dethreaded, used as insulation, or in some cases, sold to overseas markets.
Once again, the money we receive from the sale of the semi load gets deposited into our program budget. Furthermore, not only are we able to sort and help get donated items to a place where they are used most efficiently, we are diverting items that would otherwise go to the landfill.
I hope this wasn’t too boring of an article with all the logistics, but it’s important for us at CSS that you know how our donation process works and why we do what we do when items are donated to us. Our staff is trained to discern how a particular item can best help those in need, and only with your support can CSS answer the call and lead the way in sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Any financial donations that we receive directed at this effort will go toward our contract with Upright Labs, the purchase of equipment like additional warehouse shelving and shipping materials, as well as setup costs associated with our ecommerce launch. Once we have all of this in place, we will be in a really good place to start generating revenue for the people we serve.
To make a donation toward our sustainability project, visit www.csshope.org/donate and make your tax-deductible gift today! Thank you and may God bless you!
