Local Goodwill stores close for COVID-19 and plead: Don’t leave your trash here
Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont on Thursday closed its retail stores and donation centers in the Carolinas for three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, president and CEO Chris Jackson said.
Goodwill won’t accept donations during the closure and urged people to hold on to their donations until the stores reopen. Jackson cited Mecklenburg County’s stay-at-home order that took effect at 8 a.m. Thursday and will likewise last for three weeks, until April 16.
Goodwill also doesn’t want people leaving trash at their doors. That happened at one of their locations this week, Goodwill said, forcing staff to spend time and money to dispose of it.
In an email to reporters, Samantha Story, Goodwill’s public relations and communications manager said, “Here’s something I never thought I’d be asking of you – please help us get the word out that we aren’t taking donations, and to kindly not leave trash at our stores.”
Goodwill asked people to hold onto the items they want to donate until the stores reopen.
Their stores are in eight counties in the greater Charlotte area: Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Union, Lancaster, S.C. and York, S.C.
“The decision to close does not come lightly, as our stores provide the majority of funding for our workforce services and training, while also providing the income to pay our 1,000-plus team members who make our mission possible,” Jackson said in a statement.
Goodwill workers who can work from home will continue to do so. Those who can’t will be temporarily laid off and paid for three weeks with benefits Jackson said.
Goodwill client services are being offered exclusively online and by phone. Request services at goodwillsp.org or by calling 704-916-1608. For services in Gastonia and Concord, call 704-916-1610.
Goodwill’s staffing company, GoodWork Staffing, is open and continues to actively recruit and place employees in essential businesses, officials said. GodWork Staffing can be reached at goodworkstaffing.com and by calling 704-332-0278.
“We are fully aware that the impacts of COVID-19 will disproportionately impact those with limited resources, options and access,” Jackson said.
“However long it takes, we will continue to do everything possible to serve the people of this community as we have for more than 50 years, by helping people get access to resources, coaching and skills training to access careers and sustain their families,” Jackson said.
