Goodwill Industries Reverend Edgar J/ Helms founded the first Goodwill in 1902 in Boston. The Methodist minister collected used clothes and household goods, and then trained and hired the poor and immigrants to fix them. By doing this, he developed a method to help men and women in need by giving them hope, dignity, and independence. The items were then resold or given to those who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" was born. Today, there are 184 Goodwill Industries member or affiliate organizations worldwide. Each Goodwill is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, and an affiliate of Goodwill Industries International (GII) Click here for more information about GII's history and operations

Goodwill of North Georgia Goodwill Industries of Atlanta was started in 1925 by a group of local citizens, The group worked in a small house, collecting used goods with horse and wagon and mending clothes on pedal-operated sewing machines. In an attempt to find the right location, Atlanta's Goodwill moved its operation several times. Between 1925 and 1959 the agency called Edgewood Avenue, Butler Street, and Peters Street Home.

In 1972, the agency relocated to Glenwood Avenue. It was the first site that Goodwill Industries of Atlanta constructed from the ground, up. The facility allowed Goodwill of Atlanta to operate a store, donation center, career center, and more in one location. Goodwill merged with Ellijay-based Vocational Transitions, Inc. in July 1998. This merger reflected a commitment to expand quality services in rural areas of North Georgia. At this point, the agency changed its name to Goodwill Industries of North Georgia to reflect its new service territory. By July 2005, Goodwill Industries of North Georgia had further expanded its service delivery area by merging with Kelley Diversified in Athens, Georgia and with Toccoa Rehabilitation, Inc. in Toccoa, Georgia.