Barb Backlund works the register at 1st and 2nd Thrift Store in Grand Marais. Photo courtesy of Gerry Grant
It’s January, the month when the volunteers at 1st and 2nd Thrift Store are rewarded for all the work they did during 2020. It’s January, the month when more than $55,000 raised by those volunteers will be distributed to the local nonprofit organizations they supported.
The model at 1st and 2nd Thrift Store is simple. Local residents donate lightly used items at the thrift store’s Donation Center. Volunteers sort the items and mark them for sale in the store. People from Cook County and beyond purchase the items for a price well below that of a regular retail store. Each time the volunteers work, they log-in and designate a local nonprofit organization that they choose to support with the gift of their time. In January of the following year, all of their hours are tallied and a check is written to each nonprofit organization selected.
In 2020, 43 volunteers worked 3,567 hours and raised $55,288.50. Forty-seven nonprofit organizations will soon receive a check in the mail. Those organizations include local churches, service organizations, and any other registered 501(c)3 organization that a volunteer chooses to support.
This year many organizations took a hit financially when COVID-19 struck. The money from 1st and 2nd Thrift Store will help fill the gap made during the long months when their doors were closed.
1st and 2nd Thrift Store itself closed in mid-March, when the extent of the pandemic became obvious. It reopened in May after implementing the safety precautions recommended by Governor Tim Walz. Since then the thrift store has operated under the provisions seen all over town: facemasks, shields, frequent sanitization, social distancing, and restricted customer numbers.
Ann Marie Mershon commented, “I’m new to working at the thrift shop, and it’s been a treat even during the pandemic. I’ve enjoyed my co-workers and love knowing that each hour I work means a payout for the non-profits I choose to support.” Gwen Mattice enjoys working at the thrift store because, “ There are so many good items that people have and don’t use that could become someone else’s treasure. 1st and 2nd Thrift Store helps get those items to people that can use and treasure them.”
Despite the risk of contracting COVID-19 themselves, the volunteers continued to show up with a smile for each customer. And now their efforts are paying off.
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