FAST FACT:

• $38,000 worth of merchandise at our Thrift Center has been given to the residents and graduates of the Inn

The Friends of The Inn Thrift Center, purchased for The Samaritan Inn by a single donor, has been providing clothing and household necessities to the general public, residents and graduates of The Samaritan Inn since 2005. It serves several functions for the Inn, all of which are beneficial to residents and graduates alike.

Until a resident finds employment, and as long as they are able to, he or she is required to volunteer at the Thrift Center. The resident is exposed to many aspects of the retail industry including inventory, marketing and customer service. This experience provides marketable skills that a resident can add to his or her resume when seeking employment.

Next, the Thrift Center provides clothing for new residents. Most of the time, a person who is experiencing homelessness arrives at the Inn with only “the clothes on their back”. Instead of giving them a box or bag of items to ‘pick through’ for clothing, a new resident is provided with a voucher worth $30 and given the opportunity to shop at the Thrift Center. They can pick their own size, colors and styles of daily clothing and any clothing that could be worn to a job interview. Providing the resident with a place to shop with dignity helps to begin the rebuilding of the person and creates a pride of ownership.

This pride of ownership is extended when the resident “graduates”; which means they have a full time job and their own home. Graduates of the Inn are provided with a $175 furniture voucher and a $65 housewares voucher. This eases the burden of having to try to furnish a home from scratch.

The Thrift Center also provides a place to store the hundreds of clothing and household items that are generously donated daily. These items used to be stored at the Inn and were many times turned away due to lack of storage space. Keeping the items at the Thrift Center opens up a wing here at the Inn that houses the offices of the Caseworkers and Counselors and provides some storage space for canned goods, paper products, hygiene, baby and cleaning items that are needed at the Inn on a daily basis.

The Thrift Center is self sustaining, which means that the Inn does not support the center in any monetary way. And although the Thrift Center is not a real “money-maker”, the small profit that its does make goes directly back to the shelter. It employs two full time employees and four part time employees. The Thrift Center is also a great place where churches and other organizations can volunteer to help sort or display the donated items.

So, the next time you drive by, why not stop by………it’s not just a Big Purple Building!

STORE HOURS
Tuesday - Saturday
9 am to 5 pm

Donations will be accepted
Tuesday - Saturday
10am to 2pm

          A tax receipt will be              provided to all donors.

DONOR PRIVACY STATEMENT
We will not sell or trade a donor's personal information to any other entity in existence unless we receive written permission from the donor, or lacking that, provide donors with an easy and user-friendly way to opt out of having their information sold or traded.

• First to see new merchandise;
• 10% volunteer discount on all purchases;
• Helping the homeless of Collin County.           

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!