By Dee Mobley
We’ve been a few months pokey in saying thank you for a profitable 2020 to all those who make the St Vincent de Paul store a blessing to a wide area of folks. Without donations (many of which are NEW, with tags), the store would not BE. Without customers, ditto. Without our volunteers and manager, we’d be kaput. THANK YOU ALL.
Now that COVID is waning, St V’s is about back to “normal”. And normal includes a back room that is so full that working space is marginal. So we ask for a temporary moratorium until August on donations, especially winter items for which we have limited storage. It breaks our volunteer hearts to pass on quality winter items. And we’re desperate to play “catch-up” to get ALL of our summer clothing out on the racks. So please hold your donations for six weeks and come shop in the meantime.
Despite published annual reports and the small-town grapevine, it’s amazing how often someone says they have no idea what St V’s does with their proceeds. Since the store started up almost twelve years ago, well over $90,000 in cash has gone back into the community. With clothes and other items freely given to those in need added into the figures, that number would likely bump up towards $100,000.
In 2020 we distributed almost $17,000 among fifty families and two organizations -- Powder River Transportation and the Ministerial Fund (which is handled by the Sheriff’s Department for travelers in need). Whether it’s gas cards for medical travel, IGA gift cards, help after a fire, help with a utility bill, or other needs, St V’s has been available since 2009 to offer a hand up.
And to keep these sizable $$$$ flowing into the community, we again plead for more workers, whether for an occasional hour, a special project, or a scheduled shift. Since we’ve not been able to clone our faithful regular volunteers, St V’s is having difficulty keeping fully staffed. So forgive us if you find our doors locked when we should be open this summer. Please understand that if we have no help for a shift, the lights will be out. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.
The St V Board of Directors: Mike Copps, Dan Lynch, Jeanne Rogge, Karen Amende, Hannelore Olson, Margie Riley, & Dee Mobley.
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