Goodwill of Central Iowa, a non-profit organization providing jobs and job training opportunities to people facing barriers to employment, has moved to the next phase of its reopening plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Wednesday, July 22 Goodwill of Central Iowa has reopened three additional retail stores for shopping. Boone, Newton, and Waukee retail stores opened for shoppers, with the enhanced safety protocols in place that can be observed at all Goodwill of Central Iowa locations. Looking forward, Goodwill is pleased to continue its reopening plan, which will include the Outlet in its original south-side location. A mid-August opening is expected for the pay-by-the-pound outlet.

“We are so excited to bring employees back to work and provide jobs for individuals in our community. In fact, we have job openings for our retail stores at this time, which provides community members the opportunity for stable income and support.” Beth Hanson, Goodwill of Central Iowa Retail Director and Acting Leadership Director. If community members are interested in a job with Goodwill, they should apply online at dmgoodwill.org/work-here/.

At this time, all locations have currently put donations on hold. While Goodwill is thrilled to continue reopening stores and welcome back customers, this has also come with an influx of donations. Beth Hanson shared, “We appreciate the generosity of our community. We look forward to accepting donations at a later date and ask that donations are not left unattended.” The organization has yet to determine a date to begin accepting donations again.

Enhanced safety protocols for traditional retail stores continue to be upheld throughout the reopening of all stores. In addition, the Outlet will have its own unique safety protocols in order to ensure the wellbeing of customers and employees. These include, but are not limited to: social distancing of six feet, minimal shoppers per bin, requiring masks and gloves to be worn by all employees and customers over the age of two, limited maximum capacity, and set shopping shifts with scheduled cleaning breaks.

Goodwill is asking for the community’s continued support as the non-profit organization begins to recover from the impact of COVID-19. People and businesses can help support Goodwill by shopping at the stores, shopping online at shopgoodwill.com/desmoines, or by making a financial contribution.

About Goodwill of Central Iowa

Goodwill of Central Iowa is a non-profit organization that uses donated goods retail infrastructure to support programs improving the quality of life for individuals facing a barrier to employment. The organization is dedicated to changing lives of Central Iowans with barriers to employment by helping them earn and keep jobs through workforce training in our businesses and your communities. In 2019, Goodwill of Central Iowa served 6,790 individuals through mission programming, including placing 558 in employment. In the last 10 years, Goodwill has served over 40,000 Central Iowans, with more than 5,000 placed in jobs. Learn more about Goodwill of Central Iowa through our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.