The largest Goodwill facility in the local territory is coming to Foley.

On Tuesday morning, several representatives of Goodwill and city officials gathered with a group of around 25 for the groundbreaking ceremony for a new 50,000-square-foot facility, located just off South McKenzie Street.

Those in attendance included local Goodwill board chairman Richard Wilkins, South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce CEO Donna Watts and Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich.

Goodwill Industries of the Gulf Coast serves 10 counties across Southwest Alabama and Northwest Florida, and the Foley location will be the largest of its subsidiaries in that area.

They have already served 13,000 people with over 20,000 services, with 1,600 of those being to residents of Baldwin County, a number Wilkins said has grown over the past year. According to U.S. Census data, Foley is the fastest-growing city in Baldwin County.

“Having a facility of this size here in Foley, that’s going to help us provide more of our programs and services to the benefit of folks here in Baldwin County,” Wilkins said. “We look forward to having a profound impact here on Baldwin County, and we look forward to not only providing the services but partnering with all of you who are here in just improving the quality of life here in Baldwin County.”

Programs and services offered by the organization include educational resources, autism evaluation for young children, tax preparation services and free medical equipment to those in need.

In addition to the services provided, the new facility plans to create 30 new jobs, along with several opportunities for volunteering.

The new facility will include not just a storefront but also an outlet store designed to help low-income individuals and families, as well as a warehouse for transportation and other services.

On top of this, the Foley location will also include an Opportunity Center, a resource center where any individual or family will have access to services and programs aimed at developing their skillset in order to become successful in today’s job market.

Goodwill Vice President of Marketing and Development Tony Zodrow said Foley was chosen for this new facility because of its centralized area as well as the need to establish themselves within the area.

“First, Goodwill Gulf Coast has been looking to establish a facility in a major municipal area in central Baldwin County – an area in which we didn’t already have a Retail Store or an Opportunity Center like we have in Fairhope and Spanish Fort,” Zodrow said. “Second, Foley is centrally located for the area we serve in Baldwin County and Florida and will work well as a base of operations for everything we do in that part of our 10-county service area.”

Although nothing is set in stone, several Goodwill representatives said the goal is for the facility to be completed and opened by Fall 2025.

“I’m real proud [Goodwill’s] new facility is coming and all the services that it will help add to,” said Hellmich, Foley’s mayor, “because it’s another piece of the puzzle that helps solve all the problems that we have serving our citizens.”