Goodwill

Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Reverend Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who poor to mend and re...

Goodwill was founded in 1902 in Boston by Reverend Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator. Helms collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired those who poor to mend and repair the used goods. The goods were then resold. The system worked and the Goodwill philosophy of giving a “hand up, not a hand out” was born.