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The Good Neighbor Thrift Shoppe in the United Methodist Church has grown by leaps and bounds since its opening in April. The goal of the thrift shop is to raise money for missions and church camps.
The United Methodist Women’s Group felt that there was a need to keep funds coming in to help the community, and members came up with the idea for the shop. Now all church members are invited to participate. “We all work together. We are excited the way the shop is growing,” Dorothy Thomas said. One of the deals the thrift shop was offering last week was a bag of clothes for three dollars. Last Saturday was “Wild and Crazy ½ off Saturday.” The Good Neighbor Thrift Shop is open on Mondays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. They are also open the second Saturday of the month. “We want to be open for more hours in the future,” Sue Anderson said. The items sold at the shop are donations from the community and the church. Anyone can drop off goods at the church on South Avenue during office hours. Any items donated to the church specifically for the sale (including books) will be offered for a period of time before being dispersed into other community programs or areas of need. In an emergency those in need of certain items may also be referred to the thrift shop from already established agencies such as the police or fire department. The first donation that got the shop up and running was from an estate. A donor was able to bring in a garage full of things, Anderson said. The shop is sectioned off into categories of clothing, books, bric-a-brac and toys and household items. The church’s handyman Paul Moss has been working hard on building shelving units for merchandise. In the past the church has held yard sales, rummage sales, market days and coffee concerts to raise money. Anderson said the church may be small, but they are mighty. Moss said that he has gone on several of the rural missions. “The chief mission is to help the people who are in serious need of assistance,” Moss said. The group that went on the mission did maintenance work to people’s homes in New Orleans. Moss said a great deal of the damage to the homes is from dampness, high water tables and termites. Anderson said all monies earned through the shop go into a fund and are dispersed accordingly. The church hopes to expand their mission work in a closer region. “I think it is great that we can make a difference,” Thomas said. Last year, Thomas went on her first mission that was funded by the church. During the mission she helped build stairs, reroof buildings and made a difference in other’s lives.
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