By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Catholic Charities will open the doors of its newest facility, a thrift store, on Saturday in the former NAPA building located at 11 Davis Street.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
Catholic Charities is opening its second thrift store in Presque Isle on Saturday, April 30. Everything at the store, from furniture and footwear to books, bedding and more, will be sold to raise funds to purchase food to feed those less fortunate in Aroostook County. Located in the former NAPA building on Davis Street, the facility has been totally redone, including new paint and display areas, to provide an inviting atmosphere for customers looking for a deal. Pictured with a beautiful springtime bouquet is Dixie Shaw, program director, Catholic Charities Home Supplies and Food Bank.
“To mark the occasion, we will be holding a Feed the County food drive on site April 30 as part of the Presque Isle store’s grand opening,” said Dixie Shaw, program director, Catholic Charities Home Supplies and Food Bank.
The new facility will help make donated items available for sale, rather than stored in a storage unit, said Shaw, raising much-needed funds to purchase food for those less fortunate in Aroostook County.
The Caribou store has been such a success, Shaw said it was the next logical step to open a second site.
“This has been in the works for over a year. It’s finally coming to reality. The idea came about in order to help meet the needs of the food bank. Costs have tripled and we receive no state or federal funds. We earn our way — or not — here. We’re totally dependent on the generosity of others, whether through donations or the sale of donated items,” said Shaw.
From cookware to curtains and cards, bedding to bud vases and books, furniture to footwear, paint supplies to purses, there’s something for just about everyone at the new location. But while the proceeds go to help those struggling to make ends meet put food on their tables, Shaw said the store offers something for just about any income bracket.
“We don’t carry just lovingly-used merchandise, we also have a considerable amount of brand new items — donations that were never used and still had tags on them or items donated from stores that either went out of business or had discontinued stock. This isn’t just a store for low-income customers; this is a store for anyone of any income,” she said.
Shaw said she came up with the store’s motto “You get a good deal and someone gets a good meal” — a suiting description of just what shopping at either store will mean for the non-profit and those it serves.
“Everything we do at either facility is solely for the purpose of putting meals on the tables of those struggling to make ends meet. The problems in today’s economy have hit households, especially families, hard. People are trying to decide whether to put food on the table, heat their homes or put fuel in their cars to get to work. Too often they do without food to make ends meet,” said Shaw.
Staff at both centers “go the extra step,” according to Shaw, cleaning donated items, displaying them by category, even combining donated items to create attractive new items, such as flower arrangements.
“We have a garden center, with a wide selection of flower pots and other items for sale. We have several floral displays, suitable for table arrangements or as gifts for a sick patient,” explained Shaw.
“Everything in here is sold, with funds going to the food bank. The money stays in Aroostook County to help operate (or centers) and feed those in the County,” she said. “It’s County folks helping County folks.”
The new facility is set up similar to a department store, with like items displayed according to category. There’s an office area, a paint/home maintenance section, cookware, footwear, furniture area and more.
“We even have an area sectioned off to display toys and kids’ books. It’s walled off so kids can go in but can’t readily wander off, with walls low enough that parents can easily keep an eye on them. We have bookshelves and will have specific spots for displaying furniture,” Shaw said.
The new location will also offer custom-made jewelry.
“We have a gentleman who makes custom-made jewelry, such as mother’s rings. He does it to help us and takes nothing for himself,” she said.
Shaw said it’s hard work but work that’s necessary.
“We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t have to. We serve 24 food pantries from Wytopitlock to St. Francis, Fort Fairfield to Ashland. Over 37,000 people were served through that network last year,” said Shaw, indicating that at the rate people have been seeking assistance this year and with the rising cost of food, that figure is expected to be around $90,000 this year.
All donations are welcome, whether monetary or material items, and are tax-deductible.
“We accept donations of cash, furniture and appliances and just plain ‘stuff,’” said Shaw. “By ‘stuff,’ I mean all the various items we typically have for sale. This is how we feed the County.”
If someone has an item but can’t drop it off, Shaw said arrangements can be made for pickup.
“Every time I pick up a couch or set of dishes, I think how much food we can get once the item sells. It’s a cool concept — one of recycling. We’re keeping so much out of landfills, people are getting good deals and we can help the hungry,” Shaw said.
Catholic Charities regularly picks up what Shaw calls “leftovers” from yard sales and flea markets.
“We’ll even go clean out a house if we’re asked to,” she added. “We’ll go statewide, if it means picking up something that can be sold to buy food.”
She said there’re a lot of people throughout the state who want to “help folks in the County.”
Shaw said those at Catholic Charities are looking forward to Feed the County Summerfest, sponsored by Aroostook Savings and Loan and slated for Aug. 20 at Spud Speedway.
“It’s the biggest fund-raising event ever held on our behalf. Tickets are flying out the door. It’ll be an incredible event, featuring Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy,” she said.
Catholic Charities has also changed its policy on accepting donated clothing.
“We used to not take clothing but figured if competing nonprofits can make use of clothes, why can’t we. Due to limited space, we only have room for a small selection, but we put as much of it to good use as possible. Once we get a big enough shipment, we work with a buyer who sells it for rags. Jean material is good for soaking up oil, sweaters are taken apart and the yarn can be processed into something else. The only thing we don’t accept are wet clothes, because one wet bag can ruin a whole shipment,” Shaw said.
The new space features a lunch room, office, furniture showroom, retail area, as well as a separate bay for pickup and drop-offs.
“We used our loading dock recently to accept a shipment of potatoes, which were then shared with a food bank in Unity. We regularly share with other food banks. I’m known as the ‘County Girl,’ so I hook them up with potatoes, and in turn they get things like meat and cereal for our food bank,” Shaw said. “We share our excess with others.”
Shaw is looking forward to welcoming everyone to the new location on Saturday. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with extended hours on Friday.
“We’ll have the same daytime hours as Caribou but will be open later on Friday, until 8 p.m., for those late-night diners and those coming to Presque Isle to shop on Friday night,” said Shaw.
For more information, contact 764-3478.
