In response to the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on its communities, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania (Goodwill SWPA) will be providing a total of $200,000 in thrift store vouchers throughout its 17-county territory in southwestern Pennsylvania and north central West Virginia. The Goodwill will work with area nonprofit and government partners to place “Give Back” vouchers to Goodwill thrift stores into the hands of those who need them.
Goodwill SWPA is immediately seeking nonprofit partners to apply to receive Give Back vouchers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland Counties in southwestern PA, and Barbour, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Taylor and Upshur in north central West Virginia. Interested 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations should fill out the online application. After a review process, selected organizations will receive batches of Give Back vouchers that they can distribute to their own program participants.
“COVID-19 has had such a major impact on people in our communities, including to those who have lost their jobs or a portion of their income because of the pandemic,” said Andrew Marano, vice president of donated goods retail at Goodwill SWPA. “Our thrift stores generate a large amount of the funding needed for Goodwill’s mission to provide job training and education for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. But in the wake of COVID-19 with unemployment rates over 6 percent, we have initiated our Give Back program to provide even more help to people in our region.”
The Give Back vouchers can be used to purchase donated items for sale at any Goodwill SWPA thrift store. View the listing of all Goodwill SWPA stores.
The deadline for organizations to apply to participate in the Give Back program is June 1, 2021. Selected organizations will begin receiving their vouchers in June so that they can be used beginning July 1, 2021. Read more about the Give Back program here. You can also contact Goodwill SWPA’s Welcome Center by phone (877) 499-3526 or email for more information.
Individuals who are looking to participate in Goodwill SWPA job training or education programs can also contact the Goodwill SWPA Welcome Center. You can also learn more about Goodwill SWPA’s mission program here.
Note: This post originally appeared in the Goodwill SWPA newsroom.
