MISSOULA — At Goodwill, there's almost always see a consistent line of cars waiting to drop off donations.
In the warehouse, employees eager to get back to work sift through donations without missing a beat.
Now more than ever, Manager Warren Altounian said the items have to be taken extra care of before they ever hit the shelves.
"Based on CDC guidance, we now quarantine everything all donations for just 24 hours. Based on the information that the virus likely does not survive more than an hour or so on any surfaces," said Altounian. "Labeling everything I mean every item in the store is every you know four foot by four foot box, and every tote was labeled on the day it was received so we knew when we could process these donations."
By definition, Goodwill may not be an essential service, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.
"We're not an essential service like a hospital, but there's certainly an essential aspect to a thrift business that people have needs and require household goods that they can't otherwise afford or can't buy in volume that they're able to here," Altounian said.
The more people who donate to Goodwill and its cause, the more work is available for those on the job hunt.
Management considers this a win-win situation for everyone in the community during these economic hardships.
"I'm currently hiring, I will continue to hire. That's my goal is to keep employment high and continue to grow our sales," said Altounian
