Goodwill Central Texas launches 'dump your ex's stuff' campaign for Valentine's Day

CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) — Goodwill Central Texas said it was offering its own form of retail therapy for those going through a breakup this Valentine's Day.

The nonprofit's Central Texas locations are participating in their first annual "Dump Your Ex's Stuff" donation campaign this year, inspired by similar trends at Goodwill stores nationwide. The measure encourages people with lingering belongings from a past relationship to donate those to area Goodwill stores, said Kendall Forward, Goodwill Central Texas' PR manager.

"Anyone who's been through a breakup knows that it's never fun, but we're trying to have some fun with it this year and make it a little bit easier for people by just giving them a place to come bring some stuff that might be lingering around, get rid of some of that maybe emotional and physical baggage that they might have," she said.

All 36 Goodwill Central Texas locations are participating in the effort, with drop-offs and scheduled pickup services available.

Donations received and purchases made help fund the Goodwill Career & Technical Academy's job training and career placement programs. Those programs focus on in-demand career certifications, including medical assistant training, Python code programming and electric trade work.

The academy specifically caters to people who were previously incarcerated or who might've lacked access to technical training courses or higher education, officials previously told KXAN. The proceeds also go toward the Goodwill Excel Center, a free public charter high school catered toward adults ages 17-50 looking to earn their diplomas.

"When you donate, you are donating to help a good cause," Forward said. "You might have some negative energy towards that breakup or towards that ex, and so you're turning that into something positive — you're turning that into helping people in the community and helping fund our mission, which is job and career training and education for people in the greater Austin area and Central Texas."