Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida receives $38K grant

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Jan. 25, 2017 - PRLog -- Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. received a grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation to offer classes to residents seeking their food handlers' certification, enabling them to be better qualified for culinary employment positions in Southwest Florida.

As part of the Community Foundation's 2016/17 Community Impact Grants, Goodwill received $38,000 in funding to offer basic cooking techniques and to assist with identifying and solving barriers to employment. Goodwill plans to work with the Heights Foundation to provide individualized services.

"Our culinary training program at Pine Manor has successfully trained and placed people in entry level jobs in restaurants during the past two years. This grant will allow us to address the holistic, individualized needs and training goals of our program participants so they can overcome barriers that prevent them from sustaining employment and becoming independent," said Fred Richards, Vice President of Community Support Services for Goodwill.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Last year, the Foundation partnered with individuals, families and corporations who have created over 400 philanthropic funds.  Thanks to them, the foundation has invested $5 million this year in grants and programs to the community.  With assets of $93 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $67 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County's Sustainability Plan.  Based in Fort Myers, the Foundation has satellite offices located in Sanibel Island, LaBelle (Hendry County), and downtown Fort Myers.  For more information, visit www.FloridaCommunity.com or call 239-274-5900 (tel:(239)%20274-5900).

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties. The agency's mission is to help people with disabilities and disadvantages by offering life-changing opportunities to achieve independence. Goodwill's programs in Southwest Florida include Pathways to Opportunity and Pathways to Work, Job-Link resource centers, small business training classes, disability-accessible housing, the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy charter school, and more.

For more information about Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, please visit www.goodwillswfl.org or call (239) 995-2106.