KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The coronavirus pandemic has become a “direct threat” to one nonprofit’s business model.
Earlier this month, all Goodwill locations closed as part of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. Because of those closures, more than 500 employees are being disrupted, according to Ed Lada, MOKAN Goodwill president and CEO of western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
In a video posted in an online fundraising campaign, Lada said that Goodwill was built to be “transitional employment” for people in a business model driven on the generosity of communities.
Goodwill has had to scale back services and furlough employees, according to Lada.
“This is a direct threat on the legacy of Goodwill here in Kansas City,” he said. “The lack of revenue has put our organization in peril like we’ve never seen before.”
Last year, Goodwill served more than 3,000 individuals and helped more than 800 people find employment.
Goodwill is more than 125 years-old and is present in 82 counties across Missouri and Kansas.
