Goodwill of Central Iowa will expand its E-commerce operation with a focus on sustainability and job creation. The organization was selected as a recipient of the 2024 Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant for $160,000.00 in support of the project.
The expansion, located within Goodwill of Central Iowa’s Headquarters building, will be complete in early 2025. It will provide an additional 28,000 square feet of dedicated space for the sorting, posting and shipping of items sold on its E-commerce platform, ShopGoodwill.com/DesMoines. Included in the expansion is the addition of equipment to bring efficiency and automation to the operation. This equipment includes moveable shelving and workstations, an automated book sorter, a garment conveyor system, and custom cardboard box machine.
SHOPGOODWILL.COM
Operating since 1999, ShopGoodwill.com provides an auction style shopping experience for consumers to purchase unique, secondhand items, including art, antiques, collectibles, apparel jewelry, electronics, and more. Today, more than 110 Goodwill organizations across the county list and sell items on ShopGoodwill.com, including Goodwill of Central Iowa. All revenue from these auction sales fund Goodwill’s life-changing programs and services for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
In addition, ShopGoodwill.com is an important piece of the donation life cycle within Goodwill. Sales of donated goods within Goodwill of Central Iowa’s traditional retail stores, E-commerce platforms, outlet, and salvage and recycling efforts have kept over 18 million pounds of items out of central Iowa’s landfills last year.
GROWING OUR IMPACT
Mary Hunter, CEO of Goodwill of Central Iowa, says “As secondhand shopping continues to grow in the online space, we are thrilled to take this step. It will allow us to continue to maximize the impact each donated item has on our mission and minimize our impact on our local environment as we keep more salable goods out of our landfills. Most importantly, this expansion will allow us to bring more mission programs to our community.”
As a social enterprise, Goodwill of Central Iowa relies on the support and partnership of the Central Iowa community to fulfill their mission of making purposeful employment possible for all. When Iowans shop in Goodwill stores, donate their gently used items, or make a financial contribution to the organization, programs designed to inspire confidence and strengthen abilities for those facing barriers to employment are made possible.
