Founded in 1957 as a not-for-profit, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee's mission is, "We sell donated goods to provide employment and training opportunities for people who have disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping a job."  

At Goodwill we believe in giving a hand up, not a hand out - a saying coined by Goodwill's founder, Reverend Edgar J. Helms.  Helms did missionary work in the slums of Boston in the early 1900s.  He hired the poor and needy to mend and repair used goods that he collected from wealthy Bostonians.  The refurbished items were resold and given to the people who did the repair work, the basis for the mission of Goodwills throughout the U.S. and abroad.  

About Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee is based in Nashville, Tenn. The agency employs more than 1,400 people and serves 46 counties throughout middle and west Tennessee. We operate 33 retail stores, including an outlet store, 66 donation sites and 15 Career Solutions offices. Goodwill is middle and west Tennessee's largest employer of people with disabilities with more than 80 percent of our workforce reporting some type of disability or disadvantage.

Although affiliated with Goodwill Industries International in Bethesda, Md., we operate independently through our own governing board of directors.

Goodwill accepts gently-used items that donors no longer want, need or use.  Those items are sold in our retail stores or online through onlinegoodwill.com.  The revenue from the sale of donated goods helps fund our job training services and programs. In addition to our retail sales, Goodwill depends on several other revenue sources, including state and local grants and SignSolutions, which offers design and printing services.  Our Goodwill is the only Goodwill in the U.S. with its own sign shop.  Clients range from real estate companies to local governments.  To find out more, please visit goodwillsignsolutions.com.