Give a Gift That Works This Holidays Season
JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 23 FOR GOODS GIVING SATURDAY
Donate on Goods Giving Saturday to help Hawaii’s most vulnerable residents get a second chance at life through the power of work.
Join us from 8:30 am to 12 pm to donate your gently used clothing and households at these three locations across Oʻahu: Kaimuki, Kaneohe and Kapolei featuring $6,500 in gift card giveaways from: Aloha Gas, Car Wash 808 Express, Popeyes Hawaii and treats from Diamond Bakery Hawaii.
Participating Locations:
Kaimuki – Kaimuki Store & Donation Center
Kaneohe – Windward City Attended Donation Center
Kapolei – Kapolei Store & Donation Center
Questions About Goods Giving Saturday?
Donate 3 Ways
1
Donate Your Stuff
We need your help in collecting 150,000 boxes of clothing and household goods this holiday season. Donate a box today and support your community!
2
DONATE TODAY
3
Donate In Stores
Help us put someone to work by making a donation along with your purchase when you shop in our stores. Your support is a gift that WORKS. We turn your donations into job training, education and support services for more than 10,000 people across the Hawaiian Islands every year. These are the stories of just a few of the lives that we’ve shaped
Meet Calvin
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Calvin was fortunate to retain his job as an office assistant working for the state – but worried about bringing COVID-19 home to his special needs son and wife who had been laid off from her job. After receiving an email about Goodwill Hawaii’s Google IT Support Specialist program, he saw it as a great opportunity to gain more flexible, well-paid and remote work.
Calvin applied for the program but was initially turned down due to eligibility since he had already earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. After some coaxing from the Goodwill Hawaii team, Goodwill Industries International (GII) opened the program eligibility in 2021 to allow enrollment from people with four-year degrees.
The Goodwill Hawaii team contacted Calvin to get him enrolled, and he worked diligently to complete the coursework and program all while working full-time as the primary income provider. His infant son also lives with a rare genetic condition that requires him to have 24-hour critical care.
Goodwill provided him online training and coaching, job readiness training and supports, and shared relevant job openings and other IT training and internship opportunities. In addition, Goodwill helped Calvin to access and apply for other services and resources that could help him support his family – including rental assistance.
After successfully completing the Google IT Support Specialist coursework, Calvin obtained a position with Squarespace that allows him to work remotely from home and earned an 18% increase in pay from his previous position. More importantly, working from home has allowed him the flexibility to better care for his son and be readily available in case of medical emergencies.
Meet Allen
Allen endured the same social and economic hardships that many others around the world faced in 2020. He found himself unexpectedly displaced from work after working full-time at a restaurant as well as at a local nonprofit where he managed events. Allen temporarily took a break from working and used his savings to get by, but once December 2020 came around, he realized the pandemic was not going away.
He decided to come to Goodwill for help and met Virginia and the Career Readiness & Education Development (CRED) team. They helped him search for jobs and referred him to other resources to get health insurance, nutritional assistance, and financial support. Using Goodwill’s computer lab, Allen was able to update his resume, apply for a position at Jamba Juice, and do job interviews on Zoom. Allen was offered a sales position at Jamba Juice, which he accepted. Just recently, he was promoted to Guest Services Ambassador where he helps the team and stores increase their customer service skills.
Allen says: “Eventually, I want to rent my own home and, if I make my best choices, I can truly perceive that happening. I also want (need) to replenish my savings up to six months so I can be financially secure again. I’m definitely on the path to creating a dream life and am thankful for the assistance of Goodwill Hawaii’s CRED Program.”
Meet Morning Glory
Morning-Glory’s senior year of high school was cut short due to the pandemic. Unsure of what to do next, a family member referred her to Goodwill Hawaii for help and Morning met with program coordinator Siniva to learn more about their services. Within a few days, she was able to get a job at Burger King but eventually grew tired of it and told Siniva that she wanted to do more.
Morning and Siniva worked together to research different career paths based on her personality-type assessments and developed an individualized employment plan and career-map that would serve as the foundation on which to build. Siniva introduced her to the Remote Ready Hawaii Program, a new initiative launched by the State of Hawaii as a means to putting our community back to work, remotely, and quickly. Together, they prepared her application and she was one of 80 applicants accepted into the program.
Morning-Glory said: “At first, I thought this program was too-good-to-be true. I am forever grateful to both Siniva and Goodwill Hawaii for guiding me to where I am today. I was finally able to leave my dead-end job and step into a career I never could’ve imagined doing—working from home, helping people meet their customer service needs! I love how I always have somewhere to go for guaranteed help and the assistance I get each time is worth every minute of my time. I love this program and the flexibility it gives me to manage my own time, to make a good living for myself, and to live life on my terms. This was not too-good-to-be true.”
