Maybe you know the feeling — that little burst of virtue that curdles into frustration.
You’ve just cleaned out your closet, filling trash bags with clothes and other items bound for Goodwill.
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Hoisting the heavy sacks into your trunk, you drive to a nearby Goodwill — a modest but meaningful act that feels like more than just a physical unburdening.
… Only to find the donation center has closed after reaching its daily limit. And then the bags just sit there in your car. For weeks. Or months.
Or more.
Goodwill donations reached an all-time high
This experience is seemingly so universal that it has become a meme. It shows a photograph of the back of a car filled with trash bags and a caption: “I’m going to donate this stuff to Goodwill, but first I’m going to drive around with it in my trunk for a few months.”
Blame it — at least in L.A. — on a surge of donations to Goodwill Southern California, a nonprofit that operates about 100 locations where people can drop off clothes and other items, and shop for secondhand goods.
Goodwill Southern California said that donations increased by 162% from 2021 to 2024, when they hit an all-time high. And this year’s donations — 70% of which are clothes — are on track to outpace last year’s haul.
What’s to account for the outpouring?
Shavone Turner, a senior director at Goodwill Southern California, said that the COVID-19 pandemic instilled a culture of “decluttering” that has persisted. “People are cognizant of what they have, what they’re carrying, and getting rid of it,” she said.
But I wondered whether changes in fashion — from the culture to the clothes themselves — had triggered the avalanche of donations. So I talked to the experts.
- Dennita Sewell, a professor of practice at ASU FIDM, the fashion school of Arizona State University, said that the influx may have something to do with the pervasiveness of fast fashion. Perhaps people are disposing of it as they wrestle with ethical concerns about the exploitation of workers who make such garments, and other issues. “It has reached a peak,” Sewell said of fast fashion. “There is a rising awareness among Gen Z and younger consumers of the impacts.”
- Nicole Schlesinger, product development manager at women’s clothing brand DÔEN, said the increase could be tied to shifting trends during and after the pandemic. “We were marketed these different outfits to be comfortable in, and you weren’t going out to eat or meet your friends. So, yeah, who were you dressing up for?” Now, though, with most companies back in the office, those matching athleisure sets won’t cut it.
The sweet relief of finally donating
On Monday, I went to drop off clothes and a few odds and ends at my local Goodwill. I’d been meaning to for months.
I pulled into the parking lot at the rear of the building. The place was slammed.
A Tesla and a Toyota had double-parked in front of the entrance to the donation center, whose double doors were flung open. Men and women hustled in trash bags filled with clothes, or sometimes just armfuls of them.
As I approached, a masked worker eyed my bag knowingly. I told her it was just clothes, but she spotted a kick-board poking out of the cinched top.
“That’s hard goods, baby,” she tisked.
I sensed a smile underneath her mask as she plopped the bag in a bin with home goods.
I crossed the parking lot, where a decadent tangle of bougainvillea tumbled over a chicken-wire fence topped with barbed wire.
Under a dome of blue, noontime felt neon. And amid this quintessentially L.A. tableau, the moment shimmered with satisfaction.
My trunk was empty.
Today’s top stories 
Donald Trump, left, with his then-girlfriend and future wife, Melania Knauss, as well as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000.
(Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images)
Trump and EpsteinCalifornia gets some abnormal weather
- An atmospheric river is headed for California, and is predicted to hit Southern California on Thursday and last until Sunday.
- The river storm could bring flooding and mudslides and also snuff out fire risk.
- Evacuation warnings are in effect in areas near burn scars from 6 p.m. Thursday through 11 a.m. Sunday.
UCLA and Rose Bowl tension2028 Summer OlympicsL.A. renters get a little relief
- In a historic vote, the Los Angeles City Council voted to cap rent increases at 4% for rent-stabilized apartments.
- Landlords have voiced opposition to the cap, claiming that a decrease in revenue may force them to make fewer repairs on their properties.
- Others have argued the new rules could dissuade developers from building in L.A.
More big storiesCommentary and opinionsThis morning’s must readsOther great readsFor your downtime 
(Jasmine Desiree / For The Times; Estate of Eve Babitz / the Huntington)
Going outStaying inQuestion of the day: What’s one special dish your family makes for Thanksgiving?
Stacy Burroughs said, “Every year I make this incredible Port wine Cranberry Sauce. It’s got a very rich taste with added tangerine juice and a couple 5 spice pods.”
Michael Antonoplis said, “This is very untrendy but my wife’s family makes this cherry / grape / cream cheese Jello mold side dish that everyone looks forward to devouring. It’s crunchy, sweet, goes great with turkey. Awesome!”
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … the photo of the day 
The northern lights, or aurora, were visible Tuesday evening from Angeles Forest Highway in Angeles National Forest.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from Times staff writer Jaclyn Cosgrove of the northern lights making a rare appearance in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martin, assistant editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Andrew Campa, weekend reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.