Goodwill Industries of the Columbia
Established in 1969, Goodwill Industries of the Columbia operates in a 13-county region of southcentral Washington and northeastern Oregon, with stores in Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, College Place, Wenatchee, Sunnyside, and Hermiston. Goodwill Industries of the Columbia is one of 157 autonomous member agencies of the Goodwill network.
"Not Charity, but a Chance"
Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “Not Charity, but a Chance” was born.
Now A National Nonprofit Organization
Dr. Helms’ vision set an early course for what today has become a $5.59 billion nonprofit organization. Helms described Goodwill Industries as an “industrial program as well as a social service enterprise…a provider of employment, training and rehabilitation for people of limited employability, and a source of temporary assistance for individuals whose resources were depleted.”