June 30, 2023; Kelcy Wilburn
With four retail stores in Jefferson Parish — Kenner, Metairie, Marrero and River Ridge — Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana contributes much more to the community than great thrift finds. Not only does the organization bring in more than $5 million in revenue every year at its Jefferson Parish stores, Goodwill recently celebrated 75 years of doing what it does best: putting people to work. As a premier social service organization in Southeastern Louisiana, Goodwill helps people find their path to sustainability and a more abundant life.
Founded in 1947, Goodwill Industries offers opportunities to people with employment barriers to improve their economic self-sufficiency through training, education, support services and employment. In 2022, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana received the LiveWell Jefferson Healthy Business Award for Creative DEI Programs from the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. It has been named Nonprofit of the Year (New Orleans CityBusiness) and Best Thrift Shop (Where Y’at, Gambit Weekly). Its President & CEO, Jodee Daroca has twice been named a Woman of the year honoree by New Orleans CityBusiness. Daroca not only loves working within the Jefferson Parish community, she also appreciates the larger family that makes up Goodwill Industries.
“Our donors are people who have gently used items they’d prefer not to throw away, so they donate them for Goodwill to either sell or recycle,” says Daroca. “Our shoppers are looking for bargains, working on a DIY project or opting to make sustainable choices. Our students are looking for educational opportunities with support structures to help them beyond school. Our clients are people who have barriers to employment, and our employees are people looking for a place where they can earn more than minimum wage while also making an impact in their community.”
The organization is an active member of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and operates an Attended Donation Center (ADC) in Metairie, which was the first ADC in the region, making donating gently used goods easier than ever.
Read the Biz New Orleans profile here.