Goodwill announces new programs, expanded services

Tacoma-based Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region on Tuesday announced a series of initiatives aimed at greater outreach to clients and customers and easier access to services.

Goodwill President and CEO Terry Hayes offered a look at “the next round of reinventing ourselves” at the agency’s annual Ready to Work luncheon at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

Among the announcements and initiatives:

▪ Goodwill has received a grant to help low-income families through United Way’s first Centers for Strong Families.

▪ The agency has added a two-year program funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation called “Women 2 Work.”

▪ Expanded GED/high-school completion outreach for at-risk young adults in Yakima.

▪ Continued evaluation of job-training programs, including the “Online & Upward” job-training program in Lewis County and in Tacoma.

▪ Updated retail stores that will feature faster checkout, new signage and attention to merchandising.

▪ A new “small box store” concept will be introduced next month in Graham. New stores, with a 6,000-7,000-square-foot footprint, will allow “more access for potential shoppers” in areas currently underserved.

▪ Expansion of online sales that will allow customers to reserve and purchase items that will be shipped from stores.

▪ To better gather stock for retail sales, look for expansion of home pick-up services “to make donating more convenient.”

▪ Continued emphasis on on-the-job training and career-advancement assistance.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Goodwill announces new programs, expanded services."