With The Corner at Debs Store, Goodwill Industries of North Florida expands its traditional focus on employment, training and education to address one of the major challenges facing some Jacksonville residents: a lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods and free financial coaching.
The Corner at Debs Store, located at the corner of Florida Avenue and 5th Street, Jacksonville, is the culmination of several community organizations joining forces to restore a grocery store in the Eastside neighborhood. The store will introduce fresh produce and groceries to the residents of Jacksonville’s historic Eastside and surrounding neighborhoods, eliminating a food desert created by the 2011 closing of the original Debs Store.
LIFT JAX, the Debs Family, VyStar Credit Union, local community organizations and Goodwill Industries of North Florida have worked together to create a new community space where residents can build healthier, more prosperous lives.
Goodwill will manage the daily operations of the 5,000-square-foot complex. The first floor will house the 1,800-square-foot community market. Goodwill will run staffing, retail management, inventory and customer service. A Goodwill GoodCareers Center occupies the second floor of the restored building, bringing employment and job training for Debs Store neighbors.
VyStar will improve financial access in the area by providing a surcharge-free ATM and expanding its Financial Fitness initiative through financial education services.
“VyStar is committed to breaking down barriers to financial opportunities,” said SVP VyStar Community Engagement, Patricia McElory. “We have provided financial guidance to our members for over 70 years, and we are proud to be a community partner of The Corner at Debs Store and to offer financial tools and resources to residents in a location that best serves their needs.”
David Garfunkel, president of LIFT JAX added: “The grand re-opening of The Debs Store is a monumental step toward enhancing well-being and quality of life for Eastside residents. Our multifaceted approach to ensuring access to necessary resources like fresh food, career services and financial resources will address immediate needs and support long-term prosperity in the neighborhood.”
“The Corner at Debs Store is a piece of Jacksonville’s history that was a gathering place, a market and a real touchstone that was founded by the Debs family,” said David Rey, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of North Florida. “When it opens again, it will provide the Eastside community a consistent source of affordable, healthy and fresh food. The bottom floor of the building is being restored in a way that keeps architectural details true to what they were originally — and it will house the community market. But what’s especially exciting to us is that on the second floor of the building, we are opening a Goodwill GoodCareers Center. This will help close the wealth gap by providing the community access to career and financial wellness services.”
Rey continued: “This is an incredible community, and we fell in love with the residents of the Eastside right from the start. We’re excited to be able to bring in Goodwill’s strengths and experience with retail and job placement to be a part of the positive changes happening. This is about lifting families out of generational poverty through career and financial wellness opportunities.”
The Corner at Debs Store is slated to open in the summer.
Goodwill is seeking funding to offset initial start-up costs, including stocking the shelves with produce, purchasing equipment to keep food fresh and securing necessary food transportation services. To learn more about giving to the projects, go to The Corner at Debs Store — Goodwill of North Florida (goodwillnorthfl.org)
