Go Green Warehouse Donation Drive Sept. 11-Nov. 11 Supports Veterans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Go Green Warehouse Donation Drive Sept. 11-Nov. 11 Supports Veterans

Donated Home Improvement Materials Help Connect Veterans with Employment

DENVER, Sept. 12, 2012 – Between Sept. 11 and Nov. 11, the Go Green Warehouse, a program of the nonprofit Veterans Green Jobs, is organizing a donation drive to collect home improvement materials for its store in support of military veteran employment. The drive is being targeted at homeowners clearing out the house, contractors with leftover building materials, and businesses with overstock to get rid of. Unwanted, functional new/used items are kept out of the landfill and sold to the public at heavily discounted prices in the 40,000-square-foot warehouse located in central Denver. Income from store sales benefits Veterans Green Jobs’ employment program for military veterans.

The Go Green Warehouse is a home improvement materials store that sells a variety of products ranging from appliances, furniture and building materials to tools, sinks and doors at prices that are up to 75% off retail.

Exclusively reliant on donations to keep its shelves full, the Go Green Warehouse’s donation drive from Sept. 11 to Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) will culminate in a Breakfast Burrito Blowout on Saturday, Nov. 10. Free breakfast burritos will be given out to all donors who come into the store that day. The store is located at 2627 West 6^th Avenue.

The Go Green Warehouse picks up donated items free of charge in the metro Denver area. A list of eligible donation items may be found at http://www.gogreenwarehouse.org/Donate-Green-Building.html. Homeowners, contractors and businesses may schedule a pick-up by calling 720-236-1340 Tuesday through Saturday.

As an income-generating arm of Veterans Green Jobs, the Go Green Warehouse not only directs its revenues to a good cause, it also directly hires veterans. It gives hiring preference to veterans who are wounded warriors, long-term unemployed, homeless or have other employment barriers. The warehouse also runs a transition employment program that helps to break down the barriers to employment.

The national unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is far above the national average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June 2012, of those veterans who have served since 2001, 12.7 percent were unemployed in May, and the youngest (18-24 years of age) are unemployed at a rate of 23.5 percent. More than one million veterans are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016, placing increased demands on the workforce. These numbers are startling.

In Colorado alone in 2011, 49,000 Colorado veterans (out of 475,000 total veterans in the state) sought employment assistance with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, but this represents only a portion of the veterans needing employment. Additionally, there are some 21,000 recent veterans attending institutions of higher education in Colorado.

About Veterans Green Jobs

Veterans Green Jobs is a national nonprofit whose mission is to engage, transition and connect military veterans with meaningful employment opportunities that serve our communities and environment. With programs in eight states, Veterans Green Jobs offers training and hands-on experience, directly employs veterans, offers entrepreneurial opportunities and offers a national job placement model. See www.veteransgreenjobs.org or www.gogreenwarehouse.org for information. Join Veterans Green Jobs on Facebook.

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Media contact:

Veterans Green Jobs / Linda Lidov / 303-358-6279 / linda@veteransgreenjobs.org