Through our Reclaimed For Good charitable foundation, we strive to reclaim lost items to help serve those in-need at home and abroad. Through innovative initiatives and partnerships, our team is dedicated to ensuring that no lost item goes to waste by identifying opportunities which will allow us to accomplish the most good. As we gear up for the back-to-school season, and with many students and teachers returning to the classroom this month, let's explore five ways we are able to give left-behind items a new purpose through supporting students in our local school systems:
Did you know: When we unpack gift cards from unclaimed luggage, we don’t simply toss them into the recycling bin. Gift cards are used to purchase essential items and necessities to meet needs in the community and surrounding areas. In preparation for this back-to-school season, our Reclaimed For Good team used gift cards to purchase school supplies to help equip students and their families for the upcoming school year. Supplies included pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, pencil pouches, and more to help ensure students in our area are first-day-of-school ready.
Fun fact: One of the most common items we find in lost luggage are headphones! While many pairs of headphones are sold at Unclaimed Baggage or on unclaimedbaggage.com, just as many are donated through Reclaimed For Good. Students are often required to use wired earbuds for various standardized testing. Our Reclaimed For Good foundation provides hundreds of pairs of earbuds each year to our local school systems for their students during testing season.
When unopened feminine hygiene products are found in luggage, these items are sent to our Reclaimed For Good foundation to be distributed to charity partners such as homeless shelters and female rehabilitation centers. A new program developed through Reclaimed For Good provides feminine hygiene kits to local middle schools and high schools. Packaged within zipper pouches, the kits are given to guidance counselors to distribute to students who are in need.
One of the most common donation requests Unclaimed Baggage and Reclaimed For Good receives is for clothing items. Reclaimed For Good partners with a variety of organizations to meet clothing and accessory needs. Throughout the school year, hats, coats, clothing, and shoes are donated to local schools to stock their in-house clothing closets for students in-need. Clothing and accessory items are also donated to the Jackson County Department of Human Resources to provide the children they serve with back-to-school clothing.
We appreciate all of the hard work accomplished by educators and believe they have one of the most important jobs in the world! To celebrate them during this back-to-school month, Unclaimed Baggage is hosting Educator Appreciation Saturdays. Every Saturday throughout the month of August, all educators may bring their educator ID to Unclaimed Baggage to receive 25% off their entire purchase store-wide as well as a free cup of Starbucks coffee on us. Click here for more details. Thank you, teachers!