04 Oct Thrifting Changes Lives: Great Bargains Deliver Big Impact

There’s nothing quite like finding an incredible vintage lamp in great condition lurking among a shelf of everyday lamps or nabbing the perfect kitchen cabinets at a reduced price for your kitchen renovation. Thrifting can be like going on a treasure hunt; you never know what you’ll find. But thrifting isn’t just about snagging deals; many thrift stores support great causes. The money you spend at a thrift store helps your community in various ways.

Community support is important, no matter where you live or what you do. Humans are inherently social, which means that being part of a community is essential to our well-being. All healthy societies have members who share the same goal: to support each other to improve their respective neighborhoods.

While there are many ways to support your community, many of them require a significant investment of time or money to make a difference. Thrift shopping, on the other hand, can help your community in both passive and active ways. Thrifting is a fantastic way to do your part for the people around you while getting something for yourself in the process.

When you shop at a nonprofit thrift store, such as Re-Store Warehouse, you’re part of something much bigger than a shopping trip. A stroll down isles in a large warehouse that’s filled to the brim with new and used kitchen cabinets, furniture, appliances, flooring, lighting, and other household goods can mean excellent bargains for you and a better future for your neighbors.

The same is true when you donate to a thrift store. That cute child’s bed frame and dresser that your kids have outgrown are still in good condition and can be just what a struggling family needs for their home. Likewise, the dining room set that your great aunt gave you may not be to your taste but is just what another shopper wants.

Money Goes Where It’s Needed Most

Of all the many ways thrifting helps your community, perhaps the most practical benefit is that it puts your money where it’s needed most. When generous people and organizations donate new and gently used items, Re-Store Warehouse sells them at bargain prices and donates 100 percent of the net resale profits to area organizations that help at-risk kids, the homeless, and those in need in Cumberland County.

Over the past several years, Re-Store Warehouse has donated an average of more than $100,000 annually to a dozen nonprofit partners. Those contributions help families and individuals—your neighbors—get the support they need to thrive.

Provides Shopping Options for Lower-Income Families

Thrift shopping is one of the best ways you can help lower-income families in your community. Thrift stores are popular places for those with lower incomes to frequent because it’s easier to find affordable furniture and other household items they need. When you support your local thrift store by shopping there, it helps it thrive, making it viable for those with fewer options.

Reduces Trash and Helps the Environment

No one wants to live in a community plagued by growing landfills, which are detrimental to the environment, causing land loss, methane emissions (a greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere, and potentially leaching hazardous materials into groundwater.

By donating to a thrift shop instead of throwing out things you no longer want or need, you prevent excessive waste from ruining your community’s environment. We all need to do our part for the environment—both locally and globally.

Everybody wins! You’re on a mission to find great bargains for your home or office, whether that involves renovating your existing space, building an addition, creating your dream kitchen, simply replacing the floors, or spiffing things up with new windows and doors or new paint. Re-Store Warehouse is on a mission, too! That mission—to help those in need—only happens with your help. Now, start shopping!