Blog

CEO Update: Our commitment to reopening safely

POSTED May 28, 2020 IN: Community

As our State begins to reopen I want to share our progress toward preparing our stores and our teams for operating in this new environment. In the very near future we hope to open several of our nonprofit thrift stores, in service of providing growth opportunities for our students and employees. And as we do, you will see some things that look very different than they used to. We want to assure you that we’re making the safety of our community our highest priority in everything we do.

Reopening our stores will allow us to sustain our ability to serve our mission to provide free job training, education and basic services to our neighbors in need. And they need us now, more than ever.

When we reopen, we will limit the number of customers in a store at any one time to allow for proper physical distancing, in compliance with Washington State guidelines. Every Goodwill employee will be wearing PPE, and shopping carts and baskets will be sanitized regularly. We’ve reconfigured the store layouts so that physical distance can be maintained and still provide a pleasant shopping experience. And we’re taking extra measures to ensure that every Goodwill donation has been sanitized and appropriately quarantined before it is placed in the store.

These are just a few of the many new steps we are taking to ensure everyone’s safety. For more detailed information about safety measures, cleaning procedures, and other changes you can expect, visit the new “Shopping Safely at Seattle Goodwill Stores” blog.

Our commitment to support our community through our mission is unwavering. Reopening our doors to shoppers allows us to offer new life for used goods—and helps us create new life opportunities too—for individuals, families and ultimately the communities we serve.

The need is great, and it is urgent. If you’d like to help out now, before our stores reopen, we’ve created the “Goodwill Hope and Health Fund” to respond to the immediate and critical needs of our neighbors. I invite you to attend the Hope & Health Video Event June 3 – 5.