LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Known for their retail stores and donation sites, the work Goodwill does reaches far beyond the walls of any building.
"Our doors may be temporarily closed, but the mission is very much alive at Goodwill. We are still very active," Goodwill Industries Vice President of External Affairs DeVone Holt said
Like so many, they have gone virtual, doing everything from job coaching to even job placement all across Kentucky, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's rewarding and it says to us that we really have a team of men and women who work for Goodwill who are really committed to doing good," Holt said. "They have shifted gears in an impressive way to continue to find hope for men and women."
Holt said he has never been more proud of what they have been able to do, and that includes becoming a hub of information that he says thousands of people have been flocking to over the past month.
"We concluded that we could tap into our networks all around the state to provide an online resource portal that helps men and women understand how they could overcome many of the day-to-day challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic," Holt explained.
Head to their website where you will find resources for everything from mental health assistance to help with paying your bills or even where to get tested for COVID-19.
"We wanted to just provide a little hope," Holt said. "Clearly there are many people around the state who are anxious in these uncertain times and not necessarily certain about what will come. While none of us can be certain of what the future holds, we can look back over our history and know that good will come."
Holt said just because the pandemic has changed the way they operate does not mean their mission has stopped. They are continuing to carry on the only way they know how, helping people and having faith that good will come.
"That word HOPE for us is an acronym that says Having Only Positive Expectations," Holt explained. and that's the way we've operated over the last month: having only positive expectations, providing hope for men and women who are not certain about what the future holds."
