June 20, 2010 — More than a dozen major area retailers are looking to get unsold products into the hands of local nonprofits who directly serve the Boston-area community, as part of a national program that is now expanding to Massachusetts.

The retailers, including The Home Depot, Borders, Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, are participating in a program developed by Gifts In Kind International, a national nonprofit based in Virginia that partners with businesses and nonprofits to provide quality products and services to improve lives in local communities.

“These retailers fill an immense need for nonprofits in the Boston area—they are truly giving back in a personal way,” said Gifts In Kind International president and CEO Cindy Hallberlin. “The unique person-to-person interaction between the charity and the store demonstrates commitment and trust on both sides. These partnerships can help the community by providing what they need not only to survive, but also to thrive.”

The organization explained that nonprofits pay n annual administrative fee, which enables them to look for a store within their own neighborhood, and can use volunteers to pick up donated items.

“Our Retail Donation Partnership with Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond and Talbots has helped increase the buying power of our dollar. Instead of thinking if we can afford to buy plates, glasses, or household goods for our day care, we can now take that extra dollar and give it to our children,” said Pete Simmons, executive director, Family Day Care Program in Roslindale.

Participating retailers include: The Avenue, Bed Bath & Beyond, Borders, The Disney Store, Guess, The Home Depot, MAX Rave, The Office Depot, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Talbots, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma.

“Our stores across the country are regarded as community centers where people come to be entertained, educated and inspired. It is a natural extension of our strong community focus to give our stores a way to help their local neighbors when so many need help,” said Borders Chief Executive Officer Mike Edwards.

Housing and rebuilding groups can partner with The Home Depot’s Framing Hope program. The Framing Hope program partners qualified community-focused nonprofits with local Home Depot stores, giving the nonprofits access to a steady stream of unsold and usable building and renovating materials. Lighting, doors, windows, cabinets, fencing, tile, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and more can all be used to build or refurbish lower-income homes and community centers or shelters, and help create safe and secure, affordable homes for hundreds of families.

“Framing Hope is a great example of a program that supports the triple bottom line, because it benefits people by providing supplies to support safe, healthy housing; it benefits the planet by diverting our unsold merchandise from landfills; and it benefits local nonprofits by giving them additional resources,” said Kelly Caffarelli, president, The Home Depot Foundation.

Gifts In Kind works with more than half of the Fortune 100 consumer, retail and technology companies. Last year, Gifts In Kind distributed product donations valued at more than $400 million.

For more information, interested nonprofits should contact Brian Annis, director of Retail Donation Partnership programs, at bannis@giftsinkind.org.