Our History

Goodwill’s story began in 1902, when Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister in Boston, Massachusetts, founded Goodwill Industries with a simple but powerful belief: people should be given the opportunity to work and achieve independence. Helms collected donated clothing and household goods from local communities, hired individuals facing barriers to employment to repair and resell the items, and used the proceeds to create jobs and provide support. This innovative model of turning donated goods into opportunities continues to define Goodwill’s mission more than a century later.

That mission reached Southwestern Michigan in 1956 with the founding of Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan in downtown Kalamazoo. Originally located on the lower level of the Radisson Hotel, our organization was established to provide employment opportunities, job training, and support services for people in our community. While our locations, programs, and services have grown over the decades, our purpose remains the same: transforming donations into opportunities that help individuals build brighter futures.

Today, every donation and every purchase at Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan helps fund programs that strengthen our local communities through workforce development, education, and employment services. Inspired by Edgar J. Helms’ vision, we continue to create opportunities for people across Southwestern Michigan while carrying forward a mission that has served communities for more than 120 years.