The Greater Good Collective in Fort Worth opened its doors this week for a soft opening. The combination thrift store and coffee shop employs people who have fallen on hard times.<\/p>\n
“There’s so much more to the homeless community than people realize,” Jessica Morgan said as she stocked clothing racks at her new job. “It means so much to me because I’ve been homeless for 5 years.”<\/p>\n
The Presbyterian Night Shelter runs the Greater Good Collective out of a building in Fort Worth donated by John David Moritz of Fort Worth, the Reilly Family Foundation of Aledo, and Mark Moore of Oklahoma City. <\/p>\n
Some employees, like Morgan, live at the Presbyterian Night Shelter. Others have other barriers that make getting a job difficult.<\/p>\n
“So shelter and housing isn’t enough to create long-term sustainability and independence,” Presbyterian Night Shelter Chief Growth and Strategic Initiatives Officer Barbara Clark-Galupi said. “So having employment opportunities is critical. It’s also critical for dignity. It’s also critical for the economic empowerment, right?”<\/p>\n
The goal is to give people an opportunity to work for a better life. <\/p>\n
“Like, I didn’t know this was where I was gonna end up, but I’m happy I ended up here,” Morgan said. <\/p>\n
The Greater Grab thrift side of the business sells donated clothing and housewares. Opportunity isn’t just at the table; it IS the table, and cutting boards, and coffee bar. All of them were created by employees of Woodworks by UpSpire, another Presbyterian Night Shelter social enterprise business.<\/p>\n
“Success for us looks like gainful employment as long as they want to be gainfully employed,” Clark-Galupi said.<\/p>\n
“Without places like this, the ones that are lost out on the street aren’t going to be able to get to the places they need to be,” Morgan said. “This is my opportunity to work in the system to help.”<\/p>\n