If you haven’t been in the Union Mission Thrift Store post-pandemic, then you haven’t seen the renovations that have taken place. The staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly over the past several months to reorganize the store, clean it from top to bottom, and remodel key areas. With two complete floors of clothes, books, household items and furniture, Union Mission Thrift Store has an incredible selection of items at fantastic prices.
“The upgrade I am most excited about is our new flooring on the first floor,” says Melissa Coleman-Wright, Manager of the Thrift Store. “It amazed me how much of a difference it made after we installed the new laminate flooring. Our contractor did a great job getting it put down without too much disruption to the store hours. I hope everyone gets a chance to come see it soon.”
Union Mission Thrift Store has provided items at market value for years to the people of the Kanawha Valley. The vast majority of the items for sale come from donations to the mission. Those items are sorted, organized, and displayed in the store for purchase. Proceeds from the sale of those items not only support the store and the staff members, but they also support every ministry at Union Mission. When you make a purchase at the store, you are helping people get food, clothes, overcome addiction, and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The store is an integral part of the workings of Union Mission.
SPECIFIC VOLUNTEER NEED
The thrift store is in constant need of volunteers to help sort the donated items that are going to be put out on the floor. Some items need inspected or tested to make sure they function properly. The thrift store currently needs someone to regularly volunteer and look for broken or missing pieces and confirm they power up and function properly.
The store regularly receives donations of electronic equipment and appliances and before we place them out for sale we want to be aware of any issues those items might have. This electronics inspection volunteer would go through the week’s electronic donations and look for broken or missing pieces, confirm they power up and function properly, and determine an acceptable price for each item.
“It would be a great help to us to have someone focusing on those specific items,” says Melissa. “Electronics always provide a good source of income for the store and we want to make sure we are providing items to our customers that function properly. For someone who likes to tinker with electronics, I think this would be a fun volunteer position to work at their own pace.”
If you would like more information about volunteering in this specific capacity, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Joyce, at joyce@wefeedpeople.com or call 304.925.0366. You can complete a volunteer application on our website under the volunteer section.
