London’s Goodwill is stepping in to fill the void created when Toronto Goodwill shut down more than two dozen stores and donation centres.

Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes announced Wednesday it’s expanding to the GTA and beyond to restore services lost when Toronto Goodwill shut down at the start of the year.

Sixteen stores and 10 donation centres in the GTA, Barrie, Orillia, and Brockville closed suddenly in January, putting 450 people out of work.

Michelle Quintyn, president and chief executive of Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes said as many as 500 jobs could be created in the next five years.

The non-profit organization is well positioned to take on the challenge without meeting the same fate as the Toronto Goodwill, she said.

“Our Goodwill is a very stable and established Goodwill. We have sufficient resources, we have a strong productive workforce of 600 team members, and quite a track record of growing over the last decade.”

Goodwill is doing a comprehensive strategic plan and market analysis, Quintyn said.

“It’s going to take a least five years to get back to where it was when it was closed,” she said. “It will take 10 years to create our vision which is a much more expansive Goodwill.”

With files from Canadian Press