Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) March 18, 2016
Planet Aid announced today that the Planet Aid Thrift Center was highlighted in Maryland Public Television’s Your Money & Business Show. The show, which aired Thursday, March 10, featured Planet Aid’s Regional Retail Manager Thomas Gentry.
The Planet Aid Thrift Center, located in Catonsville, Maryland, is the nonprofit’s first venture into the retail business. The store, which employs 30 Baltimore-area residents, opened in October and has been a resounding success in its first five months.
The Thrift Center sells clothing, shoes, accessories, household items and more. The 32,000-square-foot facility holds about 50,000 items at any time, and sells about 2,500 items a day.
Any items that cannot be sold are recycled, in keeping with Planet Aid’s environmental mission.
“The thrift store has been more popular than we ever imagined, and we are looking forward to increasing our retail operations in the future,” said Gentry. “I am so happy that Maryland Public Television reached out to us to educate people about the great work Planet Aid does in the local community. It was a pleasure to be on the show.”
Planet Aid is a nonprofit with a network of thousands of clothing donation bins throughout the country. The textiles deposited in these bins are recycled, and all proceeds from both the donation bins and the thrift store support Planet Aid’s charitable mission.
This model allows Planet Aid to fulfill its mission of helping the environment and the people: keeping clothing out of landfills and simultaneously raising money to support vulnerable communities across the globe. The nonprofit works with partners in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia on sustainable development initiatives that benefit the world’s poorest populations.
Because of the store’s remarkable success, Planet Aid plans to open more thrift stores in the area in the future.
About Planet Aid
Planet Aid is a U.S. 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and is registered with USAID as a private voluntary organization. It collects and recycles used clothing and shoes as part of its environmental mission. The net proceeds from its 22-state recycling operation help to support projects aimed at eliminating poverty. Since its inception in 1997, Planet Aid has provided more than $100 million to support projects on three continents. It has managed Food for Progress programs in both Mozambique and Malawi totaling several million dollars. Planet Aid supports programs in education, teacher training, nutrition and agricultural and economic development.