The Community Thrift Store was praised as a magical place that has made Pickens County a better place to live. That came during a celebration of the non-profit’s surpassing the $2 million mark in grants awarded, which occurred Monday at Chattahoochee Tech’s Jasper campus.
During his speech, David Aft, of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, recounted how he had asked once how many lives the store had touched in the past decade, and the answer was that it’s impossible to estimate.
Along with the tremendous amount of money poured back into local groups, money raised by selling used clothes, furniture and knick-knacks, the store on Samaritan Drive has done a lot more. It has given away tons of inventory. It has paid for its $4,000,000 building, the “hub” of the Community of Care grown up in the same location. The Thrift Store has engaged the community in social projects. It has contributed to sales tax revenues. It has formed two spin-off programs aiding women and children and providing job resources.
Store manger Bob West told the crowd, “We have given away a lot to people whose homes
have burned. We have given to kids without clothes. This doesn’t count in the money [grants], but it’s been [significant].”
West read a prepared statement from longtime Thrift Store Manger Stan Barnett, detailing how the store went from an idea to raise money to fund other projects to a store with 150 volunteers and annual sales of more than $400,000.
Aft said the Thrift Store brings a tremendously creative approach to fundraising with a track record that is enviable.
“You could have gone door-to-door or golf tournament to golf tournament,” he said. “But as anyone involved in a bake sale knows, you have to sell a lot of muffins and donuts to make $500. How many would you have to sell to make $2 million?”
He praised the Thrift Store planners for “building a better mousetrap.”
As a side benefit, he said the Thrift Store operates with “the greenest” approach by allowing people to recycle virtually anything.
“I saw a Victrola beside a samurai sword,” he said. “You can recycle any odd trinket.”
Any donated materials not sold at the local store are sold to brokers, with tons of clothing going overseas to poor nations.
Other speakers included Jobeth Yarbrough from the Good Samaritan Clinic and Don Boggus with the Joy House. Both said grants from the Thrift Store have been instrumental in providing their missions with funding to meet needs of people in Pickens County.
Thrift Store founder Don Russell was praised as “the go-to guy for non profits” here and for bringing vision and tenacity to the job.
In his remarks, Russell said volunteers at the Thrift Store aren’t just folding and hanging clothes. They are making Pickens County a better place.
Russell and West both said in their remarks they will be holding a $5 million celebration for the Thrift Store by 2015 or sooner. Sooner would be the safe bet.
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| Looking Dapper, store manager Bob West told the crowd at the Thrift Store $2 million celebration Monday that his outfit would have retailed for more than $550 at Nordstrom, but he got off the racks of the Thrift store for $11.36. |
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