The Hope Thrift Store in Morden gave back to three local charitable causes in Morden and Winkler last week.
Receiving donations of $4,500 each was the Many Hands Resource Centre for its Morden food bank and the Winkler and District Food Cupboard. A donation of $1,000 was also made to the Morden Christmas Cheer Board.
Hope Thrift Store manager Susie Enns said it feels rewarding to be able to give back to the community and beyond.
“We’re really excited that there’s so many outlets that we’re able to be of help to other people,” she said. “Obviously, there are people in need everywhere, so if we can find a way locally to be of help to people, we are here for it.”
Hope Thrift Store started up in 2021 with a primary focus on supporting the operational costs for faith-based orphanages in Mexico as well as finding ways to support local projects and programs.
The orphanages supported by Hope Thrift Store are connected through Children of Hope, which is a Canadian organization with a mandate of aiding underprivileged children around the world.
The store is volunteer based, so they have a deep gratitude for people taking time out of their day to come by to help sort, clean, and repair items all while socializing and having a good time.
“It is amazing to see the community being so supportive. And then to be able to give that support back has been awesome,” said Enns. “We thank the customers who support us and the volunteers who take time out to come and help us. We’re very grateful.”
The three organizations receiving with this year’s local grants were obvious and worthy choices, Enns said, as they’re all helping to put food on the table for families in need.
“We do know there are people who are maybe struggling this season … the costs have gone exponentially up,” she said. “There’s always going to be a need to help people, especially with groceries.”
“A huge thank you to Hope Thrift Store. We are really very happy to start to collaborate with them,” said Many Hands executive director Mariyam Tsygankova in accepting the grant.
“All the funds go to the food bank … it’s going to be very helpful,” she said. “We always need fresh produce and vegetables and other food … we have to make sure our people get nutritious food.”
“It means a lot to us,” said Morden Christmas Cheer board member Ron Peters.
“In the past year, our donations have become less,” he noted. “Yet the recipients are increasing in numbers, so everything that we get is appreciated.”
Winkler Food Cupboard chair Milt Olfert said the funds will go a long way indeed.
“This will take care of almost a month’s worth of groceries for us,” he said, noting they help about 150 families a week but last week set a record of 178 households.
None of it would be possible without community support, Olfert stressed.
“The cash donations and the food drives … it helps keep our budget down and food on the shelves and we’re just incredibly grateful for every dollar, every can.”
If you’re interested in how you can help the Hope Thrift Store, call 204-822-4673, check out their Instagram page, or go to hopethriftstoremorden.org.
Photos by Lorne Stelmach and Ashleigh Viveiros/Voice
