ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Charities that rely on retail storefronts to support programs say coronavirus-related closures will be a challenge for the people they employ and serve.
Over the weekend, MERS Goodwill closed 44 retail stores and donation sites in the bi-state area.
The agency's Excel Center Adult High School will shift to e-Learning to keep individuals on track to earn their degrees.
President and CEO Dave Kutchback says the career center will also work to stay connected with clients who have disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, or are looking to start over after prison.
Kutchback says one of the programs most affected during COVID-19 shutdowns is the sheltered workshop for individuals with developmental disabilities. Kutchback says the impact is not only economic but social as well. "Being able to have the camaraderie that you have with your co-workers and supervisors and that satisfaction of being able to produce and say that I'm a worker and knowing that they're bringing home a paycheck."
Kutchback says roughly 2,600 employees at MERS Goodwill stores and other sites are now furloughed. To help, the agency is providing full time employees with an extra $1,000 in their next paycheck. Part timers will get a percentage of that based on their hours. MERS Goodwill serves roughly 30,000 people a year.
Kutchback says a significant part of support for the programs come from the retail stores. He hopes people who may be using shelter-in-place orders to spring clean will save donations until sites reopen. Kutchback says the agency's transportation department will check donation sites periodically, but he cautions against leaving donations at Goodwill sites in case of bad weather.