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It happened in phases throughout May, but Goodwill Industries of Central Florida has reopened nearly all its stores in six counties, including those at 1600 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand and 891 Harley Strickland Blvd. in Orange City.
Also reopened is the Donation Xpress Center at 901 Doyle Road in Deltona.
At the end of May, Goodwill also opened a brand-new 24,850-square-foot retail store in Viera, the organization’s second newly constructed store to open in 2020. Goodwill opened a new site in Lady Lake in mid-May.
“As COVID-19 fuels record unemployment, Central Floridians need our retail and job placement services more than ever,” said Kim Praniewicz, senior director of marketing and communications at Goodwill. “Every donation and every purchase at Goodwill helps our neighbors get back on their feet — and that’s why opening in Viera is incredibly important right now.”
In addition, the organization reopened its Holly Hill store on June 1, joining Port Orange and the two West Volusia stores in welcoming back shoppers.
All locations are operating under limited hours. Donation Xpress Centers are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Retail stores are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
New safety measures, such as one-way aisles and plexiglass partitions at the registers, are in place at all new and reopened stores. Touchable surfaces and shopping carts are being sanitized, and employees are wearing face masks and gloves.
Dressing rooms are closed, and as a result, the return policy has been extended to 14 days so that shoppers can return items that don’t fit.
However, Goodwill’s Job Connection Services are still operating online only. Job-seekers needing to access resources and counseling can reach a team member virtually by emailing JobConnection@GoodwillCFL.org or by calling 407-235-1541.
Goodwill temporarily closed its stores in late March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once new safety measures were in place, locations have been reopening across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Brevard and Volusia counties. The reopenings started with six stores — including the one in DeLand — and a dozen Donation Xpress Centers on May 8.
Retail stores are the primary source of funding for Goodwill’s nonprofit mission, “Building Lives That Work,” which includes career counseling, vocational training and job placement. Ninety cents of every dollar in revenue is used to fund Goodwill’s job connection services, which provide career counseling and employment assistance to Central Floridians facing barriers to employment.
For more information about Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, including the locations and hours of its stores and Donation Xpress Centers, visit www.GoodwillCFL.org.
