Letter to the editor: How charitable?

In response to Dorothy Hill’s letter of Tuesday, Feb. 5, when I saw the big shiny Goodwill semi sitting in the Albertsons parking lot, I smiled at their logo: “Your donations improve lives.” (I may not have that exactly right.) My thought was, whose lives do they really improve?

I am including an excerpt from the Portland Business Journal, and this is one of many articles questioning just how charitable Goodwill is.

Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette CEO Michael Miller earned $742,875 in 2011, a 3 percent raise, according to tax documents filed last month with the Oregon Department of Justice. Last year, a Business Journal investigation found Miller was the highest paid nonprofit executive in Oregon. His 2011 pay likely keeps him atop the list.

Another case in point: How cost-effective is it to demolish a perfectly sound building and construct a new one? It seems that this money could be put to better use.

I would also like to point out that St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army also contribute more to this community than providing low-cost items for sale. They provide housing, food and comfort to local residents. I have read that executive salaries for these groups are way below those of Goodwill.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I question exactly how nonprofit Goodwill is.

Pat Davenport

The Dalles