Name of Business: Charity Thrift Store
Type of Business: Thrift shop
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Location: 402 E. Main St.
Contact Information: 250-2660
Business Specialty: Clothing and household goods
Double-dip in the giving spirit by shopping at Charity Thrift Store this holiday season where all funds are donated back to the local community to help feed the homeless and put clothes and shoes on children in need.
Rebecka Monez, operator of Charity Thrift, takes pride in the fact that all money raised stays local.
“There are a lot of chain thrift stores that not only are they not spending their money in the county, but they’re not even spending the money in California,” said Monez. “We don’t send our funds outside of the county, and that’s a big deal.”
This nonprofit thrift shop opened Nov. 25 and was created to simply, “do good.”
“My parents pastor a church here in town and we were able to make this like an extension arm of it to do God’s work,” she said.
The thrift shop is 100 percent donation based and accepts all kinds of donations. The easy access bay door in front makes it accessible for cars or trucks to drive up to.
“We have everything—I’ll get vacuum cleaners in here, I’ll get pianos and organs in here—that’s how it works,” said Monez. “That’s how we do it. They just drive up and we’ll unload it and take care of the rest.”
The directors and officers on the Charity Thrift Shop board are volunteers.
“We don’t take home a check from this, everybody here donates their time” said Monez. “We couldn't pull a check even if we wanted to because our bylaws don’t permit it.”
Discounts are given every day to military; students on Tuesdays and seniors on Wednesdays.
Monez also explained how Charity Thrift acts as an extension of the church in more ways than one.
“We like to visit the convalescent homes here in town because they can get very lonely,” she said. “We don’t do anything crazy; just take them some artificial flowers, or some chap stick, hard candies if they can have it. Just anything that says ‘Hey, we know you’re in here.’ It’s just all about giving back.”
Charity Thrift is a federal nonprofit and tax receipts are given for donations.
“We encourage people to come check out what we have; we’re flooded with donations, couches, desks, furniture, you name it,” said Monez. “Right now we have a lot of Christmas trees and toys out, but I guarantee there’s something for everyone.”
Volunteers are always needed and Monez encourages those interested to get involved.
“Even if it’s just making a trip with us to the convalescent homes,” she said. “Why not brighten someone’s day?”
