A relatively new non-profit thrift store in Chatham is celebrating its first month in business by donating $3,700 to Refuge, a local pregnancy care centre.
At the beginning of June, newLIFE Thrift Store opened its doors to the public for the first time. The store offers financial support to Chatham Christian School and various charitable organizations across Chatham-Kent.
Board member Erin Smids previously told Blackburn News opening a store in the middle of a pandemic was less than ideal. However, she said the first month of operations was excellent.
"There was a great response," said Smids. "We had a lot of volunteers, lots of people shopping."
Since newLIFE Thrift Store is a non-profit business, they rely heavily on help from volunteers, which has not been hard to find.
"I haven't had any trouble finding volunteers, it's been fantastic!" Smids said.
The newLIFE board decides on an organization to benefit on a month by month basis. Smids said the next organization to benefit from sales in July will be the Chatham-Kent Hospice.
The non-profit thrift store is located at 202 Queen St. in Chatham.
