Each morning, volunteers at FROM (Flat River Outreach Ministries) prepare to sort another day’s worth of donations for the Thrift Store. Large, colorful bins spread out along the concrete floor of the donation room hold the items as volunteers prepare them to go out on the shelves.

The donations from the Lowell community are a vital part of running the thrift store and FROM has been blessed to receive nearly 300 donations every week. These donations help stock the thrift store floor. They also generate needed funding for the mission of FROM, such as helping to fund the more than a dozen programs FROM offers the Greater Lowell Community throughout the year.

“We so appreciate the generous support from our community to keep Treasures Thrift Store stocked with quality items.” said Executive Director Wendie Preiss.

Unfortunately, among the hundreds of donations, many items are forced to be thrown out because they do not meet the guidelines of FROM’s donation policy, are broken, or damaged in a way they can’t be sold. The buildup of trash is a natural part of any thrift store’s operation, but in excessive amounts, it can be unsafe and costly to the store.

To help limit the amount of waste generated by the thrift store, we have a handful of tips to share. It is important to follow the guidelines posted on the FROM’s website or on the white sign hanging on the wall of the donation room.

Treasures Thrift Store Donation Tips:

Make sure your donations are clean and in good condition

 Be sure to run any clothes through a washing machine and clean any other dirty items before dropping them off at FROM. FROM unfortunately does not have the ability to wash clothes, or clean and fix all items. This means that it is very important to donate items that are still in good condition. Dirty clothes, dishes and broken furniture are typically thrown away.

 

Make sure items are gently used

 “It is important to make sure your items are gently used and in good condition,” Laura Bradeen, the former Thrift Store Manager, said. “We want to make sure we are providing quality items to our customers.” A good guideline before bringing your items in is whether they are in a condition in which you or a friend might purchase them. If the answer is no, it might be a good time to recycle the items, or turn clothing into rags to use around your house!

 

 Package your donations well

Another tip is to package all your items neatly together, especially if your item has multiple parts. Volunteers sort hundreds of donations a week and keeping your donations packaged neatly can help the process, and also ensure nothing is broken. Carol Guyer, a volunteer who has spent countless hours sorting through donations points out the importance of packing the donations safely. “Make sure you keep your things together and pack them in a way that they will not break when they are handled. Especially when donating fragile items,” she said.

 

Follow the guidelines for what items are accepted

 It is always important to be aware of the guidelines for what can be accepted. Information on these can be found on the website or in the donation room. Items such as electronics or damaged clothes cannot be accepted or resold. Additionally, electronics cost an extra charge to dispose of because they cannot be thrown away normally. FROM spent $600 on electronics alone in 2021.

 

Following these tips and guidelines is important. Donations that are not accepted often have to be thrown away, or many hours of time have to go into securing another location to send the items to. This also costs additional time and resources that would be put towards other FROM programs. Currently, volunteers say broken and unsellable items take up 12 large trash cans every day.

The cost to dispose of these items has also increased. Between January and July of 2021, FROM spent about $3,000 on trash removal services alone. Through that same time span in 2022, that number has raised to $3,500.

The consistent donations the thrift store has seen are greatly appreciated and Treasures Thrift Store would not be possible without them. Volunteers are excited every day to sort donated items to uncover new treasures for shoppers! We need help from everyone who donates to FROM to help lower the amount of waste generated by the store so we can direct more funds to further the mission of FROM.

“We want every customer to feel dignified and valued when they shop with us. We offer quality items that any of us would purchase,” Wendie Preiss said. “The store is essential in providing funding for programs and offering affordable and quality items to our community and it also brings dignity and value to each customer.”

 

After opening on Mondays, Treasures Thrift Store has received a highly positive response from customers. 10:00 am on Monday mornings now feature an excited crowd lined up outside FROM’s doors, eager to participate in the promotional sales. Opening the store brought additional foot traffic and excited customers who helped raise nearly 13,000 dollars over the first four Mondays. “We are excited to have such a positive response from our customers. The extra sales will help us further the support of the company mission and help more families in the Lowell community.” Said Laura Bradeen, the former Store Manager. The funds generated from the sales will help support programs such as our backpack program or help our connections office serve more people through financial assistance. Mondays have been a big success for the Thrift Store, and we hope to see more customers flood our store in the future.

After a month of friendly but fierce competition, Team South has emerged victorious in FROM’s (Flat River Outreach Ministries) annual Food Fight Campaign.  

From May 1 – June 1 the nonprofit encouraged the Greater Lowell community to give from the heart to see who can raise the most resources.  

The campaign divided the Greater Lowell Community into two teams – Team North and Team South with M-21 splitting the teams. Each dollar and food item donated to FROM counted as a point for that team. Combined, Team North and Team South totaled 11,000 food items and $145,000 in financial donations. This equaled 156,455 points which surpassed FROM’s goal of reaching 150,000 points.  

“Thank you to everyone who participated in Food Fight – whether you made a financial donation, collected food, were a food collection site for us, or shared our Social Media posts,” Arianne Hall, FROM Development Director said. “You make it possible for us to reach our neighbors in need – every day. We truly could not do what we do without you!”  

Although Food Fight is over, the community can still get involved by donating on our website at  https://www.fromlowell.org/donate/  

Mid-February we hosted our second Healthy Cooking Class! Led by MSU Extension, the evening was filled with a fun environment to learn cooking skills and be hands on in the cooking process.

 

Nearly a dozen people came to the event to learn knife skills to cut different vegetables, all of helped build the meal. The best part? Enjoying a delicious chicken stir-fry dinner at the end!

 

“It was a fun way for my family to do something together and to enjoy a fresh meal,” one attendee shared.

 

The Healthy Cooking classes were launched Fall 2021 to encourage community members to cook at home with fresher, healthier, and more nutrient dense ingredients.

 

“These classes are also to empower individuals to grow their skills and knowledge in order to feel confident in the kitchen,” Kelly Glas, FROM Healthy Food Program Coordinator shared. “I love being able to take part in these classes and learn something new during each one!”

 

Healthy Cooking Classes are open to the public and will be offered all throughout 2022! Be sure to watch Facebook, or join the FROM email list to hear about the next event coming in May!