Green funds boost Goodwill’s Hilo campus expansion and repairs

Goodwill’s growing Hilo campus picked up a new state investment that could help turn 17 Makaala Street into a more useful hub for East Hawaii residents who shop there, donate to it and rely on its programs.

Governor Josh Green released $500,000 in general obligation funds for improvements to Goodwill Industries of Hawaii’s newly acquired Hilo site. The money is part of a Capital Improvement Program and Grant-in-aid project aimed at construction and refurbishment work that will bring the facility up to code and expand its operating capacity.

That matters in Hilo because the campus is already carrying more than one job. Goodwill moved its Hilo Store and Donation Center to Makaala Street in February, giving the nonprofit a larger retail space, more parking and a more convenient place to drop off donations. The former store at 266 Kanoelehua Ave. stayed open through Feb. 7, and the new location held its grand opening on Feb. 13.

The property itself signals how much Goodwill is betting on Hilo. The nonprofit bought the campus in 2023 for $6.25 million, and the site includes four buildings. Goodwill said employment programs, an adult day health program for individuals with disabilities and an immigrant resource center moved to the campus in 2024, part of a larger plan to consolidate retail operations and human services in one place.

Goodwill has said the final phase of the project is a 12,000-square-foot air-conditioned retail store and processing center expected to be completed by 2027. The campus is also slated to include a recycling center with textile recycling and secure document shredding services. A 2025 report said the consolidation of Goodwill’s Hilo stores and social service programs at the Makaala Street campus was expected to be finished by the end of 2026.

State Sen. Lorraine R. Inouye, who represents District 1, welcomed the release of the money and said the improvements would strengthen Goodwill’s ability to expand programs and continue serving East Hawaii families and workers. The release also raises a broader question for the state: how well this public money tracks with Goodwill’s long-term strategy, and how clearly officials will measure whether the campus delivers visible benefit in jobs, training, recycling and access to services.

Goodwill Hawaii says its retail stores help fund free job training, education and mentoring for more than 8,000 Hawaii residents each year, and that one-third of the people it assisted last year were from East Hawaii. The nonprofit says it has served the islands since 1959, with a mission to help people with employment barriers reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.