Delaware and Delaware County Goodwill hopes its 2024 initiatives show the community they are more than a thrift store.
Goodwill supports seniors through the Senior Community Service Employment Program which they joined in July 2022.
Participants like Bonnie Redding are placed in nonprofit or government agencies at 20 hours a week earning minimum wage, which is now $13.25 in Delaware.
“Me getting a divorce and things like that, my whole life changed," Redding says. "Through my sickness and things, it brought me here to give me an opportunity to be able to keep my income, keep my health insurance, and try to pay my bills.”
The program receives about $800,000 in federal funding each year to find and hire seniors who are homeless or facing homelessness and fill workforce gaps. Goodwill Workforce Development Manager Cheryl Casino says the program is a win-win because it also focuses on job training for seniors.
"It's brought in this wonderful group of individuals who shows up every day, and want to be here and are excited to be here," Casino says. "They know they are part of a great program and I think for Goodwill, it has opened everybody's eyes to this population that can assist with employment when you're having turnover."
Casino adds there are about 53 participants in the program now, but as some leave the program, they are not filling their places, since federal funding is stagnant but minimum wage is rising.
"As we are able to we'll bring in those most in need first," Casino says.
Goodwill Staffing Services VP Patti Mengers notes Goodwill helped staff the Department of Labor’s unemployment office during the pandemic, and is seeking to help other sectors.
“Our contract with the state right now we have, of our almost 500 people we have about 400 just at the state," Mengers says. "And that’s a great thing but you also want to expand so currently we are working to expand our commercial end.”
CEO Colleen Marrone adds some federal funding will go toward setting up kiosks at Goodwill retail stores for Goodwill Connect – a program that connects people with community and job training services.
Marrone says Goodwill is emphasizing sustainability initiatives in 2024 as well — One focuses on recycling.
The nonprofit recently acquired a glass imploding machine that breaks broken glass items into sand, and is evaluating options to secure a plastic shredding machine later this year.
“From the glass perspective, we estimate that it's about 177 tons of glass per year," Marrone says. "On the plastic side it's about 2.1 million pounds of plastics that we think could be diverted into recycled plastic.”
Marrone says they plan to sell the plastic on a commodities market and the sand to independent contractors. She adds Goodwill’s landfill bill is about $750,000 a year.
Marrone also expects its partnership with the University of Delaware on a textile upcycling pilot program will bear fruit this year.
And Goodwill is bringing back its Sustainable Fashion Show at the end of the summer.
