J. Maureen Henderson
As the Great Recession lingers on, so do the financial burdens for those who are out of work. In addition to lack of income, possible COBRA costs and pre-existing obligations such as mortgages, car and student loan payments, household and childcare expenses, actively looking for new work comes with its own price tag - travel for interviews, dry cleaning or purchase of appropriate interview wear, coffees and lunches bought in service of networking or informational interviews, internet access to search for jobs and maybe even shelling out for career coaching or resume writing services.
There are, however, businesses and organizations that have stepped up to ease the burden on cash-strapped job hunters. Most recently, Portland's Plaza Cleaners was featured in a BuzzFeed slideshow for their window display offering unemployed job seekers free dry cleaning for their interview suits - a practice begun in 2009 - but they're far from the only firm to have offered up a recessionary act of kindness to the country's millions of unemployed workers. Here are a few more examples:
Professional Services
It's not just Mom and Pop ventures that are getting charitable. Between 2009 and 2010, Microsoft delivered over 800 000 free e-learning and certification exam vouchers through state workforce programs and Adobe currently provides free copies of Flash Builder 4.6 to unemployed developers. The American Bar Association has dropped its annual dues to $50 for those lawyers who are out of work. In Canton, Ohio, the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority is currently offering three months of free bus passes to job seekers who apply through one of the city's qualified not-for-profit organizations. For older job seekers, AARP offered free one-year memberships to those over 50 and unemployed during a 2011 promotion.
Health
Walgreens and AARP have teamed up to offer unemployed workers in cities across the country a battery of free basic health tests. The program runs until December 2012. Dentists and dental clinics throughout America offer free services to patients who can't typically afford them, including the unemployed, through the Dentistry From The Heart not-for-profit. Check their website for upcoming dates and participating practices. Vision USA does the same for low-income individuals who can't afford basic eye care. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer launched the MAINTAIN program in 2009, which offers those who are unemployed and have lost their insurance a free year's supply of Pfizer brand drugs for which they currently hold a prescription. At the height of the recession, several fine dining restaurants in NYC banded together to offer free weekly steak dinners to hungry job hunters.
Education
Depending on the state they call home, unemployed residents may qualify for free tuition at one of their local community colleges or public universities under specific government programs such as New Jersey's Tuition Waiver Program. As well, certain individual schools such as Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois are also stepping up to subsidize degrees for student job seekers.
Self-Care
Plaza Cleaners isn't the only dry cleaners to offer free service for job hunters. Businesses such as First Professional Cleaners and Janet Davis Cleaners have also gotten in on the act. Back in 2009, Vermont's Rabbit Hill Inn started their annual Pink Slip Getaway, which rewards one unemployed couple a month with a two-night stay at the luxury property. For job seekers who need to de-stress, yoga studios in major cities have been offering free classes to those out of work and, last year, the Ole Henriksen spa in LA offered 100 job seekers free massages or facials. Dress for Success has been around since 1997 has outfitted some 650 000 disadvantaged and/or unemployed women with appropriate interview outfits during that time. Gothamist reports that Donna's Hair Salon in New York's Bed-Stuy neighborhood offers free haircuts to job seekers, a practice that European salons have also picked up on. And what about a helping hand for man's best friend? In 2009, dog food manufacturer Dogswell offered free bags of food to the first 10 000 job seekers to send in a voucher.
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