Good360 Closes the Need Gap for Disaster Survivors and Beyond

Note from the CREDO team: This November, Good360 is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help Good360 distribute needed goods to communities around the globe facing poverty, rebuilding after a disaster, overcoming displacement, or striving to give children a brighter future.

Read this important blog post from Good360’s Shari Rudolph, Chief Development officer and Chief Marketing Officer, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this November.

More than enough, not enough to get by.

These two realities shouldn’t coexist. We live in a world of plenty, yet millions of people find themselves in critical need every day, creating a vast gap.

At Good360, we’re on a mission to close what we’re calling the “need gap.” We know there’s more than enough to go around. Enough mattresses to make sure everyone has a good night’s sleep. Enough shoes to make sure no child goes barefoot. And enough goodwill to make sure nobody will go without the essentials they need to thrive.

The Need Gap

The world isn’t lacking goods. In fact, we’re swimming in excess stuff as consumption continues to grow. The World Bank estimates that global waste will increase by 70% by 2050 as the result of rapid urbanization, population growth and economic development. Much of this waste can be diverted from landfills with programs that support the circular economy.

Consider this staggering statistic: The global self-storage market is expected to balloon to $65 billion by 2026, according to a report by Mordor Intelligence Research.

What’s driving such demand for more storage space? Growing families with “more material possessions,” the report says.

Meanwhile, income and wealth inequality continues to widen. According to Pew Research, the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorest families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. The highest-earning 20% of families made more than half of all U.S. income in 2018.

Then came the pandemic. COVID-19 was the ultimate intensifier of need. The World Bank estimates that 119 to 124 million people worldwide were pushed into extreme poverty due to the unprecedented health crisis. During the height of the pandemic, 11% of American households said there were times when they didn’t have enough to eat.

Now, ongoing geopolitical strife and soaring living costs continue to squeeze the resources available for individuals and families worldwide.

Disaster Recovery and Current Hurricane Response

On top of all this, global warming is making natural disasters more frequent and more severe, increasing devastation and suffering for millions, but especially for those already in critical need.

In the 1980s, the number of billion-dollar disasters was 29, according to Climate.gov. During the 2010s, that figure grew to 119.

Even now, Good360 is working tirelessly with our partners on the ground who are just beginning the years-long recovery process after Hurricanes Ian and Fiona devastated much of Puerto Rico and Florida.

In the early days, needed donations include drinking water, cleaning and mucking supplies, mold remediation products, and more. As long-term recovery efforts kick into high gear, we’ll be ready with rebuilding materials and furnishings to help families during the full recovery process.

These same goods are the ones many companies have in excess. At the same time, many of the families most impacted by natural disasters, like Hurricanes Ian and Fiona, are already likely to be impacted by other economic disparities.

A Distribution Problem

Clearly, we don’t have a supply problem when it comes to available goods and funding. What we have is a distribution problem. That’s why we work to get the right products to the right people at the right time.

This is where Good360 is uniquely positioned to make an impact —  a big impact, thanks to our network of more than 100,000 vetted and diverse nonprofits, our strong and growing donor partnerships, our logistics expertise and, of course, our people.

Last year, we impacted more than 14 million lives by distributing more than $1.5 billion in product donations. This year, we’re on track to distribute more than $2 billion in needed goods.

Opening Opportunity for All

Ultimately, we are enabling people striving to do more with what they have for their communities, all on behalf of individuals and families who deserve dignity and the opportunity to live better lives.

And that’s a great place to be. Because when we close the need gap, we create more opportunity: for donors to use their goods for good and nonprofits to better serve their

communities; for communities to become more resilient and for us all to waste less; and for people to reach their boundless potential.

When we get goods to where they can do the most good, we begin to close the need gap. Between those with plenty and those with not enough. Between corporations with so much to give, and organizations with so many people to help. Between a person in a tough situation, and a better world. A world where there’s more than enough to go around. More opportunity. More joy. More resilient communities. More good.

We’re Good360. And we’re on a mission to close the need gap and open opportunity for all.