Goodwill Industries – Big Bend, (GIBB) was founded in 1965 in Tallahassee and now serves communities in job placement and training from Perry to Santa Rosa Beach. Goodwill is a 501-c3 non-profit organization and is led by volunteer board members who are responsible for the oversight and hiring of the CEO. Goodwill Industries – Big Bend’s President /CEO is Fred G. Shelfer, Jr. who has served as a leader in the Big Bend area for more than 40 years.

Goodwill is not just a thrift store, nor are we “for-profit”. Goodwill Industries – Big Bend is here to help people overcome barriers to employment. In fact, $0.87 of every dollar spent in our retail stores is reinvested in our community through programs and services run by Goodwill. We offer programs that are free and available to anyone, ranging from career training and job training and placement to advanced computer skills courses. We are also very proud of our affordable living solutions. Goodwill Industries – Big Bend manages 12 accessible apartment buildings in North Florida and South Georgia. In 2010, we also purchased The Learning Pavilion, a child care service for everyone, but especially for children with disabilities, and we can care for more than 100 children in our community annually. You can check out all of the programs and services we provide to the Big Bend region here: What Services Do We Provide? - Goodwill Industries - Big Bend, Inc. (goodwillbigbend.org)

Goodwill Industries – Big Bend is a major employer in the Big Bend and employed more than 1100 individuals in 2020.

When you donate and shop at Goodwill, you are helping to support our mission of changing lives through the power of work. In 2020, Goodwill assisted more than 9,000 individuals with resources and support thanks to donations and purchases from our community.

Goodwill Industries - Big Bend is a registered, reputable 501-C3 nonprofit organization and has been serving our community for over 50 years. We are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and meet all 20 standards for charity accountability. We operate over 25 retail stores in the Big Bend region of Florida, and we provide job training, placement, and employment services in more than 22 counties.