Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc. opened for business on
May 12, 1935 at 112-114 N. W. First Street. Workers were to be paid in merchandise at the rate of 25 cents per hour. By November of that year, the agency was paying wages at a rate of $3.00 for five (5) days work.

The idea was to provide jobs for people with disabilities by receiving and repairing goods for resale in the Goodwill Store.

Eventually, we expanded outside of Evansville. We now operate stores in southeastern Illinois and western Kentucky, as well as other locations in southern Indiana.

Over the years, Goodwill has offered a variety of job training programs including furniture repair, laundry, industrial sewing and upholstery, shoe repair, car detailing, car repair, and food service. Each idea aimed at further increasing opportunities for people with disabilities.

Our building, at 500 S. Green River Rd., houses Goodwill’s main offices, our flagship store, and a production area with space for processing and sorting donations. In addition, the Green River Rd. location serves as the distribution point for Goodwill’s 15 retail stores and our on-line store at shopgoodwill.com

Evansville Goodwill Industries has grown into a comprehensive rehabilitation facility, offering Placement Services to individuals with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. In 1992, the Goodwill Family Center was opened to provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless families. Our service area covers 28 counties in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

A message from the President/CEO:

Welcome to Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc. and thank you for visiting our website. I encourage you to get to know us. Please use our website to explore our mission, our goals and all of the programs we offer at Goodwill. Our mission is to change lives through the power of work. When you make a donation of your gently used items to Goodwill, you are helping create job opportunities for people that are disabled and/or disadvantaged. Thank you for being a friend of Evansville Goodwill and remember to like us on Facebook! It is our privilege to serve you.

Sincerely,

Walter G. Koch II

President/CEO Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc.