Press Releases

Goodwill to expand VR thanks to $25,000 MRHD grant

A group of Goodwill employees, including (from L to R) Jeff Johnson, Mitchell Kulawik and Vilay Keokenchanh, hold a large novelty check for $25,000, awarded by Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD) to Goodwill of the Great Plains during a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23rd inside Encore Hall at Sioux City's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

MRHD grant will help underserved youth

Goodwill of the Great Plains will soon be leasing several Transfr VR Goggle headsets and the software needed to run them, thanks to a generous grant from Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD).

Goodwill was awarded a $25,000 MRHD Impact Match Grant, one of nine given out during a ceremony on Thursday morning, Oct. 23rd, inside Sioux City’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

This virtual reality technology creates immersive career exploration opportunities for underserved youth, allowing them to experience in-depth job simulations for high-demand careers.

The money will also help purchase 8 laptops, 6 iPads and a scanner; Goodwill will provide $6,399 toward the purchase.

A total of $1.25 million in grants were given out during the ceremony, ranging from $25,000 – $250.000.

MRHD has invested more than $58 million into Woodbury Co. and surrounding areas since 1994.

Goodwill donates one million plastic bags for Nebraska’s first plastic asphalt road

A group of construction workers look at the new plastic-bag asphalt being poured on Foundry Rd. in South Sioux City, Nebraska on June 11th, 2025.

Goodwill plastic bags used in Foundry Road paving project

The state of Nebraska now has its first plastic asphalt road and Goodwill of the Great Plains donated one million plastic bags to make that happen.

Paving was started on Foundry Road, near the Siouxland Freedom Park in South Sioux City, Nebraska, on Wednesday, June 11th.

Tami Koenigs, Sustainability Manager at Goodwill of the Great Plains, speaks to an assembled crowd during a ceremony to commemorate the new plastic-bag asphalt road being poured on Foundry Rd. in South Sioux City, Nebraska on June 11th, 2025.

The 4,000-foot-long stretch of road has a base of six inches of regular asphalt, topped by three inches of the plastic bag asphalt mixture.

This not only keeps the bags out of the landfill, but the plastic asphalt road is expected to last longer and develop fewer potholes over time; this plastic asphalt mixture will also be used on bike paths in the area.

More than one billion tons of plastic bags are produced worldwide every year.

The Foundry Road project used approximately two million plastic bags; First Star Recycling also donated roughly one million plastic bags to the project.

Goodwill of the Great Plains has a vision of being a leader in environmental sustainability and plastic isn’t the only thing we recycle!

To find out more about our ongoing sustainability efforts, please visit https://www.goodwillgreatplains.org/sustainability

Hiring event for NEW Sioux Center Goodwill store set for Jan. 16th

^{You’re invited to a hiring event on Thursday, Jan. 16th}

Are you ready to start the new year with a new career?

Goodwill of the Great Plains will be opening its newest retail store in Sioux Center soon, but first, we need to fill that store with GREAT team members like you!

You’re invited to a hiring event on THURSDAY, JAN. 16^th at the site of our future store, 1481 2^nd AVE. SW, from 11:00AM – 6:00PM.

We’ve got full and part-time positions to fill, so bring your resume and be ready for an on-the-spot job interview.

Plus, the FIRST 25 APPLICANTS from 11:00AM – 1:00PM and 4:00PM – 6:00PM will get a FREE MEAL GIFT CARD to the LOS TULIPANES restaurant, located just a few blocks away.

Working at Goodwill is just as fun as shopping there!

Our employees earn a competitive wage, along with multiple benefits like health insurance, 401k, paid time off and more – all while making a difference in our communities!

If you’re unable to make this hiring event, you can always apply for open positions at Goodwill of the Great Plains anytime online at www.goodwillgreatplains.org/apply.

Start 2025 with a NEW CAREER AT GOODWILL!

Goodwill Outlet Center now open SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!

_{^{The Outlet Center will now be open from 10am – 8pm Monday-Saturday and from 10am – 6pm on Sundays!}}

A big blue bin full of goods for sale, located at the Goodwill of the Great Plains Outlet Center in Sioux City.

Attention Siouxland – starting in January of 2025, you’ll have two more deal-hunting days each week!

Starting Monday, January 6^th, the Goodwill of the Great Plains Outlet Center at 3100 W. 4^th St. in Sioux City will be open EVERY DAY! That means shoppers can find bargains in those famous big blue bins SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!

The Outlet Center will be open from 10AM – 8PM MONDAY-SATURDAY and from 10AM – 6PM on SUNDAYS!

The Outlet Center is the only place in town where household goods and more are sold for just $1.59 PER POUND! Books are sold for $1.00 per pound, glass items are $.75 per pound and metal items are sold for only $.80 per pound! NEW MERCHANDISE is brought in SEVERAL TIMES DAILY!

The Outlet Center gives donated items that haven’t sold yet a second chance, helping Goodwill maximize donations and divert these items from landfills. Just like any other Goodwill store, every time you shop at the Outlet Center you’re helping support Goodwill’s mission of building independence through employment, training, and community support.

Goodwill awarded $50,000 Missouri River Historical Development grant to help cover Mission Services Center construction costs

Goodwill was one of 26 organizations to receive grant money

Goodwill of the Great Plains was awarded a $50,000 Missouri River Historical Development Impact Match Grant during a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24th at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City.

The money will go toward the construction of Goodwill’s new Mission Services Center, a more than 20,000-sq-ft, state-of-the-art net zero building.

The first-of-its-kind in the area, the new building will use solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling technology and be the new home of Goodwill’s Sioux City Job Center and Integrated Day Services, both programs that help adults gain more rewarding and independent lives.

The Mission Services Center is currently being built across the street from Goodwill’s main Support Center on W. 4^th St. in Sioux City.

During the ceremony, Missouri River Historical Development awarded grants to 26 organizations, totaling $1.25 million, narrowed down from a list of 44 applicants.