Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island opens new donation centers in Johnston and Cranston

Posted 6/23/22

The new locations — at 993 Oaklawn Ave. in Cranston and 629 Killingly St. in Johnston — provide a convenient place for local residents and community members to drop off their gently-used …

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island opens new donation centers in Johnston and Cranston

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The new locations — at 993 Oaklawn Ave. in Cranston and 629 Killingly St. in Johnston — provide a convenient place for local residents and community members to drop off their gently-used bagged donations of cloth, fabric, and small household goods and toured the new space.

Over the course of the official opening weekend at the end of May, both locations collected approximately 3,200 pounds of goods, according to a BBBSRI press release.

“BBBSRI is grateful for the support from local elected officials who attended the grand openings, including Representative Deborah Fellela of Johnston, Councilwoman Lauren Garzone of Johnston, and Councilman Robert Civetti of Johnston and Councilman John Donegan of Cranston,” , according to BBBSRI.

“I support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island immensely and am thrilled that they have moved to Killingly Street,” Garzone said.

State Rep. Deborah Fellela shared: “We have a new Big Brothers Big Sisters here in Johnston, in a great location with easy access. It’s a great way to give back to our communities to help many in need.”

The Donation Center is a subsidiary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island that collects donations of used clothing and small household items. BBBSRI has a partnership with Savers Thrift Stores, which is a key factor in raising nearly 70 percent of the agency’s funds to support its one-on-one mentoring programs and in the organization’s ability to increase the number of children and families served, according to the press release.

The Donation Center also helps keep between 3-5 million pounds of clothing and textiles out of the landfill each year and supports local nonprofit agencies and municipalities, according to BBBSRI.

“BBBSRI is constantly looking to expand its partnerships and is looking to the community it serves for connections. BBBSRI encourages any nonprofit groups, municipalities, community groups or other agencies interested in hosting a big green bin on their property to reach out to Jillian Scott, Business & Community Engagement Coordinator at jillian@bigsri.org. In addition, the Donation Center is looking to find new donation sites in an effort to increase its presence around the state and asks residents to share any leads they may have with Jillian Scott.”

BBBSRI makes donating easy. In addition to the Cranston and Johnston locations, there are currently drop-off sites in Wakefield and Middletown.

Drop-off sites are staffed and open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Residents can also donate goods to any of the 107 big green bins across Rhode Island or schedule a free, curbside pick-up at their home. For more information, visit bigsri.org/donateri.

Net proceeds from the Donation Center support BBBSRI mentoring programs. BBBSRI creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. If you are interested in mentoring a child, donating to support our program, hosting a clothing drive, hosting a clothing fundraiser for your school or group, or more, visit www.BigsRI.org, call 401-921-2434, or email events@BigsRI.org.

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