Pepe Badia of Badia Spices Donates $1 million to Goodwill South Florida
MIAMI, FL. (Mar. 3, 2021) – Goodwill South Florida is pleased to announce it will receive a $1 million donation from philanthropist and president of Badía Spices, Joseph "Pepe" Badía within the coming weeks. Badia's generous donation is part of the silent phase of a fundraising campaign the nonprofit is currently hosting to help narrow the $8 million loss its endured due to closings, furloughed employees, unemployment insurance and lack of federal help.
“We are incredibly grateful to count Pepe Badia and Badia Spices one of our most trusted, loyal and generous supporters,” said David Landsberg, Goodwill South Florida CEO. “They are right beside us today, helping us get through the COVID crisis, and have been here over the years, literally creating hundreds of jobs for Developmentally Disabled individuals in our programs.”
For over 20 years, Badia and Goodwill have worked together in packaging an assortment of spices using a workforce of Goodwill program participants. This relationship has been critical to teaching work skills to and employing over 150 disabled employees. Now, with his latest gift, Badia further demonstrates his endorsement of the nonprofit's mission to train and employ people with disabilities and other work barriers.
As a thank you to Badía Spices for all of its support throughout the years and Badia's most recent display generosity, Goodwill South Florida will be naming its work activities center the 'Badia Work Activities Center,' with a naming ceremony to be held soon.
"It is my pleasure to continue to help Goodwill South Florida carry out its important mission and I am honored by the upcoming naming," said Badia. "This organization has always had a special place in my heart since 1970, as I started to work less than two miles away at my father's tiny spice shop. I used to pass by Goodwill's main building, not knowing that one day we would develop a beautiful partnership as we both grew and worked to serve our community."
For decades, the Badía Family has been committed to enhancing and strengthening the community. Aside from the great work they do for Goodwill South Florida, the company has also supported multiple organizations such as The Dan Marino Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, La Liga Contra el Cancer, Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, the Miami Foundation, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Here's Help, Miami Dade Community College and more.
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About Goodwill South Florida
Goodwill South Florida, serving Miami, Broward and Monroe counties, is the 17th largest employer in South Florida. The nonprofit’s mission is the training, employment and job placement of people with disabilities and other barriers to work; helping individuals increase productivity and achieve greater independence. The agency provides disability services to over 7,000 South Floridians. Goodwill engages in a unique social enterprise model that funds mission services and employment for over 3,100 persons. Although most known for its Goodwill donation centers and retail stores, the organization’s other entrepreneurial businesses include Ryder Apparel Manufacturing, Custodial Services, Laundry Servicesand Third Party Logistics Solutions, which train and employ a large number of people, while providing mission funding. Goodwill South Florida is one of the most cost-effective non-profits in the U.S with 96 percent of its budget going directly to programs that are aimed at people with disabilities and other barriers to work. For more information, please visit goodwillsouthflorida.org or visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
