Goodwill Staffing partners with Second Chances Farm

WILMINGTON – Goodwill Staffing Services, a leading statewide provider of temporary and permanent staffing solutions to meet employer workforce demands, has entered into an agreement with Second Chances Farm to support its entrepreneurs-in-residence and other members of the farm operations team.

Under the new agreement, Goodwill Staffing Services, a program of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, provides payroll, taxes, healthcare and workman’s compensation coverage, unemployment insurance, 401k retirement plan with employer match, human resources support and a number of other benefits such as credit union membership and a 30% team member discount at Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County retail stores.

“For more than 20 years, Goodwill Staffing Services has provided Delaware employers across multiple industries with high-quality temporary staff,” shared Colleen P. Morrone in a statement, President and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. “Whenever we can connect someone to work, that contributes to our regional economy and in the case of our East Wilmington neighbors, Second Chances Farm, we’re also providing individuals a second chance at self-sufficiency and building their families and communities.”

Caleb Brown checks on some of the plantings at Second Chances Farm in Wilmington. The company is receiving increasing investment and attention. | DBT PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

Second Chances Farm exclusively hires formerly incarcerated individuals (termed “returning citizens”) in 10-person cohorts for a 16-week probationary re-entry program, funded by the State of Delaware. At the end of 16 weeks, if they qualify, returning citizens are offered a 52-week training/employment position and are dubbed, “entrepreneurs-in-residence.”

“Because we are a startup, we are not able to offer all the benefits that a more established organization can give,” says Second Chances Farm founder and managing director, Ajit George in a statement. “So, we went out looking for organizations that specialize in third party employment services. What the employee gets are better benefits and access to services only a larger employer could provide. We chose Goodwill because they have competitive benefits – everything from vision care to life insurance, and a retirement plan – which we could never afford to provide on our own. They also have a similar mission, which is a commitment to workforce training and second chances.”