FOLEY — A Goodwill store, community center and training facility is planned in Foley and will be the agency's largest facility in Baldwin County.

Foley Planning Commission voted Wednesday, April 19, to approve a site plan review for the new store. The facility will be on an 8.4-acre site on the south side of East Azalea Avenue near the intersection of South Cypress Street. It will include a 50,000-square-foot multipurpose building with a retail store, bargain store, community resource center and warehouse.

Frank Harkins, chief executive officer of Goodwill Gulf Coast, said the site will also be a training center for Goodwill services in the area.

"It'll be our biggest operation in this county," Harkins said. "It'll serve as a hub for future growth on the Eastern Shore."

Goodwill currently operates in Fairhope and Spanish Fort.

The new Foley center will include a retail store where donated items will be sold. Unsold items will be sent to the bargain store where the material will be sold by the pound.

"We're doing everything we can to keep things out of the landfill," Harkins said.

Goodwill Gulf Coast serves 10 counties in southwest Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The agency provides programs and services to help individuals and families overcome challenges due to disabilities and other barriers that impact economic well-being, self-sufficiency and quality of life.

Assistance programs include helping people find jobs and acquire literacy skills, help with parenting a special needs child or finding a place for adult family members who cannot stay home alone.