More Than a Thrift Store

[By Samantha Fraley]

Everybody associates Goodwill as a thrift store, but has anyone stopped to wonder about the mission behind our 501(c)(3) business model? As a business, we collect used items from the community to resell in stores and online for the funding of multiple career training and education programs. As a not-for-profit organization, we believe in the power of work and change lives within our local community through education, training and employment. Goodwill has been around for more than a century — responding to the needs of the times.

In the early 20th century, government aid didn't exist and low class families struggled to survive. A man known as Dr. Edgar J. Helms recognized the deep roots of poverty and envisioned an innovative system to give those families a fighting chance. He would then appeal to well-to-do people of Boston with a burlap sack in hopes of collecting their used shoes, clothing, furniture, and anything willing to be parted with. Helms put poor communities to work by restoring and reselling the collected goods, therefore creating what is now Goodwill Industries.

Today, that innovative system makes serving the community almost effortless. Goodwill Industries of Arkansas is a more than a thrift store; it is a movement and a significant part of our culture. You might pass a Goodwill Store or Donation Express on your route to work and get rid of unwanted belongings. You might be a professional discounter taking advantage of our weekly sales and dollar days. Maybe, you followed a thrift store trend and fell in love with the thrill of the hunt. Either way, your contributions have a purpose and it's important that you know it. The more people aware of our mission, the more people we can help.

Goodwill is for everyone, and every day another person in our community begins their journey with us. Discover the tools and resources necessary for someone's path to a brighter future. Our programs and services can help you earn a high school diploma, receive career training, integrate those reentering to society after incarceration, prepare you for an interview or assist you with resume building. We are proud believers of second chances and the power of work, and to witness real people in the community coming through our doors for the opportunity to improve their current situations, reminds us why we do what we do — Goodwill exists to give others a hand up not a hand out.