Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah is a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to help match children in Utah with mentors so that they can recognize and achieve their full potential. The organization is tailored to serve children facing challenges, including poverty, coming from refugee backgrounds, and children coping with parental incarceration or other difficulties at home. To fund and support our mission, we offer various opportunities for the community to volunteer in Utah and donate. Individuals can volunteer as mentors or donate clothing and household items to BBBSU donation centers across Utah.
BBBSU’s First Donation Center
In 1995, BBBSU started a donation center to collect clothing and small household items through a partnership with Savers. The Donation Center also began doing at-home pickups to collect donations. With time, the organization’s profile grew, and so did its demand for donations, and the center finally expanded across Utah.
Growth of the BBBSU Donation Center
BBBSU Donation Centers are essential for the organization’s day-to-day activities. The center receives various donations, including used clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, and other items. These items are then sold to Savers to generate revenue for BBBSU. In 1999, the first funding of $72,000.00 was sent to the agency. In the same year, the Donation Center was incorporated as a separate nonprofit-Friends of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.
In 2002, the Donation Center was run from a small building in Kaysville until that building was torn down. Drop-off bins were placed at all Rite Aid Stores across Utah so people could drop off their donations at any time.
In August 2004, the Donation Center moved into the Agency offices.
In 2005, the Donation Center contributed more than $100,000 to the Agency.
The organization owes its success to the hardworking staff members who have the interests of the youth they serve at heart. The Donation Center’s success is a testament to the dedication of volunteers who have worked tirelessly and donated a lot to ensure its success. Volunteers in Utah have taken the mentorship program as their own and have helped the youth achieve their goals.
Donors and volunteers in Utah can donate through the BBBSU donation center, an efficient system that offers convenient bins throughout the Salt Lake Valley to make donations easy.
In 2006, the Donation Center moved to Holladay and opened its first attended donation site. Four years later, the Donation Center began free at-home pickups in St. George. Two additional Donation Centers opened in the following years: Roy in 2014 and St. George in 2017.
In 2022, Holladay Donation Center headquarters branding was updated with Mark Miller Subaru sponsorship.
Three dropoff locations accept donations; Holladay, Roy, and St. George. To make BBBSU donations accessible to individuals in the area, BBBSU has set up collection bins in surrounding cities, including West Jordan, UT, and at participating Savers locations. Utah Savers locations include Draper, Millcreek, Taylorsville, Ogden, South Jordan, Layton, Midvale, and Orem. There are currently 108 bin locations across Utah; you can find the one nearest to you at bbbsu.org.
Free at-home pick-ups can also be scheduled. Scheduling a pickup is easy; enter your zip code to get started, and place your donations on your curbside by 8:00 am on the day of your pickup. To schedule a pickup, visit https://donatebbbsu.org/.
Impact of the BBBSU Donation Center
The donation center has had a significant impact by providing about 30% of BBBSU’s annual revenue. Additionally, the center has reduced waste disposal by encouraging the residents to donate items instead of disposing of them in landfills.
Last year, there were 30 fundraising drives and six corporate drives hosted. There were 3,441,140 pounds of cloth and a total of 3,893,672 pounds of cloth and miscellaneous items delivered to Savers in 2022.
In conclusion, the history of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah Donation Center is one of hard work, dedication, and success. Its story highlights the importance of effective partnerships between non-profits and other organizations in achieving common goals. Today, the center significantly contributes to BBBSU’s overall success and is essential to its fundraising efforts.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah Donation Center has had a significant role in supporting mentoring activities, partnerships, and BBBSU match support. For details about becoming a volunteer in Utah with BBBSU, visit https://bbbsu.org/.
