Goodwill opens new store inside Tionesta grocery store
TIONESTA - Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at its newest store located inside a grocery store.
The new store is located inside Farm Fresh Foods in Tionesta. Officials said it's the first Goodwill store within another business in the country.
President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of NCP, Ray Donati, said they chose the location to give learning support students from the Forest Area School District opportunities for work experience.
"Goodwill is about putting people with challenges in their lives to work, so these students are very important to us as they are our mission," Donati said. "We want to do everything we can throughout our 13-county area to provide opportunities to people with challenges in their lives."
Donati said the students will help stock and clean the store.
"I sort clothes, price stuff and even put them in boxes," said student Eoghan Montgomery.
Superintendent Amanda Hetrick said the partnership will give students the skills and confidence they need to be successful in their work and everyday lives.
"It's meant the world to them because we are able to really help them understand not just what a job is, but the soft skills that are hard to teach otherwise," Hetrick said.
The addition to Farm Fresh Foods is also benefiting the store. Owner Jeff Wiggers said being in a small community, his store was struggling.
"We were looking for somebody to partner, take some of our space and bring some extra people in," Wiggers said. "What better partner to have than somebody who has everything. Goodwill is like going to a garage sale and finding something unique every day."
Wiggers said he believes the new partnership will help sustain his business for years to come.
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