It was a double celebration for the Morden Community Thrift Shop last Monday as it not only opened its second building but also handed out its spring grants.
A large crowd eager to browse the new store was on hand, and thrift shop president Kent Noel shared in their excitement.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we finally built our second store, and today we opened her up, and during the grand opening we also got a spring giveaway where we gave away $128,000,” he said.
“That’s not what we normally do,” Noel noted. “Normally, we try to be a little bit higher, but now we do have a mortgage on the second building here … so our budget now for spring and fall is going to be between $120,000 and $150,000. So that’s our goal.”
So it made it a special day overall.
“That’s why we’re here. That’s why we built this building,” Noel stressed. “Just so that there’s much more we can do for the community. :
There were 24 organizations that received funding in conjunction with the grand opening, including $120,000 in grants and another $8,000 for Morden Collegiate Institute for eight graduates to help further their education.
The grants varied, with one significant one going to Western School Division as the fourth installment of $20,000 as part of a five-year pledge to support the construction of the track and soccer pitch at the École Discovery Trails school.
Noel also made note of the support going to the Morden Police Service in support of officer wellness.
“That was something that was just very heavy on my heart,” he said. “They have a tough job. If we can make it a little bit easier, we’re here.”
There were greetings from a number of dignitaries such as Mayor Nancy Penner and Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, who observed how the thrift shop was such “an incredible contributor to our community. I don’t think there’s any organization in our community of Morden that hasn’t been touched by the volunteers here, by the donors … all of you make happen.
“This is a labour of love. You guys don’t get anything out of it except for the fact that you’ve given to this community,” Hiebert added. “Every dollar that comes out of this thrift store actually stays in the community and goes to people and projects that are important.”
Morden Chamber of Commerce executive director Clare Agnew also noted what it means to the business community in terms of the thrift shop supporting local trades and businesses in getting the building done.
“The thrift store makes a tremendous impact by giving back to the community and organizations and initiatives that improve the lives of so many people,” she said.
Noel reflected on what the second building is going to mean for the organization.
“Just the amount of merchandise we carry now … with the original store, we couldn’t really carry that much furniture, and the hardware and even sporting goods was very limited, but now we have 8,000 square feet,” he noted. “About 4,000 is for the furniture and the 2,000 for hardware and electrical and 2,000 for sporting goods.
“The amount of stuff were able to put back into the store now is awesome,” he said, noting how it will have a ripple effect in terms of being able to generate even more funding for community projects.
“Our daily sales now, between the two stores, are going to be unheard of. It’s going to be phenomenal,” he said, noting that will translate into a much higher annual donation disbursement.
And Noel emphasized that what makes it all happen and possible are the volunteers.
“And there’s always room for more,” he said. “If anybody’s got from free time out there, all it takes is a couple hours a week. Just come in and see us and we’d be happy. We’ll find something for you to do. No problem there.”
Grant recipients last week included the Morden Christian Programs committee ($10,000), Morden Police Service ($6,000), Pembina Threshermen’s Museum ($6,000), 500 Stephen ($10,000), Big Brothers Big Sisters ($5,000), Boundary Trails Health Centre diabetic therapy program ($5,000), Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ($5,000), Morden Family Resource Centre ($5,000), Morden Handivan ($5,000), Morden History and Archives ($5,000), Prairie Crossroads School ($5,000), South Central Cancer Resource ($5,000), Tabor Home ($5,000), Morden outdoor rink ($3,000), Buttercup Project ($2,500), Central Manitoba Youth Choir ($2,500), Imagination Library ($2,500), Dunston Church restoration project ($2,500), Pembina Counselling Centre ($2,500), Morden Christmas Cheer ($2,000), Morden Library ($2,000), Morden Safe Grad 2026 ($2,000), and Katie Cares/Katie’s Cottage ($1,500).
