Nonprofit of the Year: Goodwill Industries of San Diego County
The Toni Times | June 2023
I’m happy to announce that I have selected Goodwill Industries of San Diego County as our 2023 Nonprofit of the Year for the 39th Senate District. The organization will be honored on June 7 at a special event in Sacramento to honor nonprofits selected by the California Legislature.
Since 1930, they have provided employment and training opportunities to people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, helping many members of our community who require additional training and services to aid them in their goal of self-sufficiency.
Specifically, Goodwill San Diego provides resources for people whose job options are limited due to lack of work experience, criminal past, lack of shelter, prior history of drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness and residents or community members with developmental, intellectual, emotional, and physical disabilities.
Goodwill San Diego programs include:
- Five community employment centers to help job seekers
- Specialized job training
- Employment services for at-risk youth
- Support for military veterans and their families to find employment and successfully transition to civilian life
- Assistance for those who receive Social Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance to secure employment
In 2022, Goodwill San Diego, which operates 28 retail stores throughout the county, employed nearly 1,600 individuals, over half of whom were people with disabilities or other barriers to employment, and assisted 5,330 San Diego County community members. Through the collection of donated items, Goodwill San Diego diverted over 65 million pounds of materials from landfills, and almost 6 million pounds of electronics were recycled.
For more information on Goodwill Industries of San Diego County visit their website at sdgoodwill.org