GREENBELT, Md. — For some job hunters, finding affordable and appropriate business attire suitable for an interview or the workplace can be a challenge. With that in mind, ZIPS® Dry Cleaners and Goodwill® have renewed their partnership to help area job seekers dress for success.
Called Will2Work, the partnership aims to collect gently worn professional attire throughout September for those disadvantaged adults seeking employment.
“Everyone knows the rule. First impressions count,” says ZIPS Co-Founder and Chairman Brett Vago, whose Mid-Atlantic-based company also offers free dry cleaning for the unemployed all year. “This is the least we can do to help those in need put their best foot forward.”
Started by ZIPS in 2008, the Will2Work clothing drive provides adults in need with access to professional attire—including donated suits, dresses, blouses and slacks—that can be worn on the job or to job interviews. At the end of the month-long campaign, ZIPS will clean, press and deliver the clothes to the proper Goodwill location.
Each of ZIPS’ 31 stores in the Greater Washington-Baltimore area, as well as four of the dry cleaning chain’s stores in Pennsylvania, will serve as drop-off locations for clothing donations.
The Will2Work drive collected nearly 15,000 garments last year, and Vago hopes this year’s effort will exceed 20,000.
“One of the biggest barriers to employment for people with a disadvantage is the lack of professional attire to wear to a job interview,” says Brendan Hurley, chief marketing officer for Goodwill of Greater Washington. “The continued partnership between ZIPS and Goodwill will give hundreds of people in our communities access to the clothing that will help secure and maintain employment.”
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