Thrift store primer

LIMA — It's spring. Maybe you're like many others right now trying to downsize your collection of junk. But so much of those so-called junk items could be treasures to others. Your “skinny” jeans you vowed you would fit into, Aunt Sarah's gravy boat, the shoes little Johnny grew out of in three months, even recyclables all can be put to good use somehow. Maybe you've thought about donating things, but how do you know where to send your former treasures? When your items are sold, where does that money go?Dave Roznowski, owner of Neighborhood Relief Thrift Store, said: “If you donate here, it should stay here.”Roznowski explained that Neighborhood Thrift — a thrift store and a recycling center on Elida Road in Lima — keeps 100 percent of its donations and revenue in Lima. Miriam's Closet, Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul are all Lima thrift stores that promise all, or nearly all, of its profits stay in the Lima community. Goodwill Easter Seals of Miami Valley Marketing/Communications Specialist Kim Bramlage said, “Eighty-six percent of profits (of the Lima Goodwill) stay in Lima to support its workforce development program, senior program, developmentally disabled program and more.” According to www.gesmv.org, Goodwill Easter Seals of Miami Valley has more than two dozen programs that help people locally — from finding employment to youth and senior services to helping the developmentally disabled in many capacities. So when you donate at the Cable Road location and shop at the Harding Highway store, your donations do a lot in Lima. Bramlage said in reference to the Goodwill donation site on Cable Road and the retail store on Harding Highway, “We have
a combination of employees and volunteers. We have the elderly, disabled, some who are receiving county benefits, or people who are just out of work. Many time we then hire those volunteers,” Both Neighborhood Relief and Goodwill accept donations of just about all types and sizes. (Please check their web sites for a complete list of acceptable donations.) Both organizations are careful to not waste anything.Bramlage said, “Very few things ever end up in a landfill. We try to repurpose and recycle everything we can't sell.”Roznowski explained, “We cut up clothes we can't sell to make cleaning rags for local paint companies and factories. We can even use clothing for carpet padding and insulation.”Roznowski also said, “The biggest part of our business is our voucher assistance program. If someone is referred to us, we give free clothing and household items to people who cannot pay. An adult can get $25 worth of clothes and shoes, as well as $25 worth of small household items and one large item, like a refrigerator or a television. A child can get $20 worth of clothing.”An individual or family can go to one of about 24 local agencies, including Allen County Department of Jobs and Family Services, Red Cross and Samaritan House to receive the free vouchers for Neighborhood Relief. “It doesn't cost the agency anything either,” Roznowski added.He also explained that they want people to go to an assistance agency first so that they can have all of their needs assessed properly. “They may need other services besides what we can provide, like food stamps.” “We meet that material need, but we also want to tell them about Jesus. We want to pray for them and tell them that God is faithful,” Roznowski said.As for where the revenue goes from Neighborhood Relief's regular retail sales, it is used to cover the operating expenses of the thrift store, as well as pay its staff. There are 21 workers there. The recycling center supports Teens for Christ next door, both financially and with the donation of its meeting space.“We pay other thrift stores, too, for the items they cannot sell,” Roznowski said. He explained that things some small stores cannot sell, Neighborhood Thrift attempts to sell or repurpose. What is left from that is put into 1,000-pound bales and sent away by the semi-truckload to be given to third-world countries or is recycled.Two of those Lima-based thrift stores that will send some of its leftovers to Neighborhood Relief are Miriam's Closet and St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. Volunteer June Sanning of Miriam's Closet, located in downtown Lima on the square said, “We accept gently used clothing and accessories. If we can't sell it, we usually take our excess to Neighborhood Thrift.”“We try to keep (Miriam's Closet) trendy, kind of like a boutique. Everything is nice and clean. We wash it before it's put on the racks,” Sanning said.St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store assistant Manager Adrene Pellegrini said, “(The thrift store) has been here for 30 or 35 years. We have a very steady clientele.”Miriam's Closet is run by New Hope Christian Center on Baty Road. All proceeds from Miriam's Closet go to support another initiative of New Hope — The Center at the Square.The Center at the Square offers a free hot meal, Christian counseling and a biblical message. They have between 20 to 50 people in attendance on an average day, according to Sanning. “There have really been a lot of people who come in hungry. We first feed them spiritually, then we feed their bellies,” Sanning said, “Sometimes we give them free clothes.”She went on to tell about a man whom had lost everything — his job, his home, he was divorced. “He would walk by and look in. Then he started coming in and would sit in the back, then would go get his meal. He kept moving slowly toward the front. One day he decided to give his life to Christ. He now has a relationship with his son again and has his life back. Now he his one of our counselors,” Sanning said.All of Miriam's Closet's profits go to meet the needs of The Center at the Square. Sanning said they could be open a lot more, but are in desperate need for more help. Miriam's Closet is run solely on a volunteer basis. “You don't have to be a member of New Hope to be a volunteer here,” she said.The Society of St. Vincent de Paul runs St. Vincent de Paul's thrift store, located on South Main Street. It is a national Catholic organization, with a Lima division. The store accepts clothing, shoes, small electronics and household items such as dishes and utensils.“All proceeds from the thrift store to go support our food pantry or to help people in other ways who need help,” Pellegrini said, “We will help people pay an electric bill or whatever.”Pellegrini explained that they often get calls from local organizations such as Lima Allen Council on Community Affairs (LACCA) and Allen County Council on Aging. People can be referred from another agency or they can come in privately and receive help.Pellegrini added, “Everything here is very nice. I am amazed at some of the things that are donated. It's so enjoyable to see people walk out of here with nice things.”