Store Merchandise Completely Destroyed

Maple Shade, NJ -- (SBWire) -- 01/21/2022 --Goodwill Industries of Southern NJ & Philadelphia announced today that it will open a donation trailer in the side rear of its Sewell, NJ (475 Hurfville-Cross Keys Road) location on Tuesday, January 25 at 9 am. A fire broke out in the Goodwill Store & Donation Center in the early morning hours of January 15, and it has been closed ever since.

According to Goodwill President & CEO Mark B. Boyd, everything in the store suffered smoke damage and is in the process of being discarded. "To lose 100% of our merchandise so generously donated to us is devastating."

The site employs 30 individuals who have been reassigned to other Goodwill locations nearby.

To rebuild its inventory, Goodwill will operate a donation trailer in the parking lot of the Sewell Goodwill starting Tuesday, January 25. It will be open Monday – Saturday from 9 am – 7 pm and Sunday from 10 am – 6 pm. A Goodwill donation attendant will be onsite to help unload donations and to issue receipts for tax purposes. Learn what Goodwill will accept or not accept for donation by visiting their website.

The Goodwill in Sewell, NJ, will remain closed until further notice.

The Sewell Goodwill Store & Donation Center first opened its doors in July 2019. As a nonprofit, community-based organization, Goodwill collects and recycles gently-used donated items and sells them in-store to fund job training programs and career services that help people with disabilities and disadvantages get to work. For example, at Goodwill's Helms Academy, one can earn their high school diploma and up to 30 college credits 100% tuition-free.

"Goodwill is an entrepreneurial-minded nonprofit," said Boyd. "By collecting, recycling, and selling gently-used items in our retail stores, we are able to fund our mission-based programs that are available free of charge to the local community. I encourage the Sewell community to open their hearts and closets to Goodwill to assist us in rebuilding the Sewell store," he added.

Founded in 1948, Goodwill Industries of Southern NJ & Philadelphia is a nonprofit, community-based organization. Its mission is to provide job training programs and career services that help local residents with disabilities and disadvantages get to work. All programs are funded by the mass collection and resale of donated items. For more information on Goodwill, please call 856-439-0200 or visit https://goodwillnj.org/.

About Goodwill Industries of Southern NJ & Philadelphia
Founded in 1948, Goodwill Industries® of Southern New Jersey is a community-based, nonprofit organization. Its mission is to put people with special needs to work. Goodwill offers a variety of career services and employment training programs that help prepare local residents with disabilities and disadvantages for success in the competitive workforce. Through the mass collection and resale of gently-used donated items, Goodwill's 25+ retail stores generate the revenue necessary to fund these worthwhile programs while contributing to America's recycling efforts. For more information on Goodwill, please call 856-439-0200 or visit https://goodwillnj.org/.