“These are some of the nicest donations. The furniture is much nicer than the stuff in my house!”
That’s Mel Trotter Ministries CEO Chris Palusky celebrating the organization’s eighth West Michigan retail store.
Proceeds support services for people experiencing hunger or homelessness including its main shelter, recovery programs, transitional housing and job training.
Palusky says the benefits are beyond financial.
“It’s a way for people to get involved. They can donate their goods. They can come shopping. We have quality things, and we offer good prices.”
The new retail and donation center is located on Cherry Valley Avenue in the former Rite Aid drug store in Caledonia – a location Palusky says was a two-year search.
“People love to shop thrift stores. It’s not a desert for thrift stores but there is a market here for thrift stores. Also the church community out here is just wonderful. People have been coming out and supporting the mission of Mel Trotter.”
Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shannon Richardson agrees the store represents the community’s values.
“What’s great is they’ve gotten a lot of community involvement. People are dropping off a lot of really nice things and want to help move the mission forward.”
The Caledonia Thrift store is open Monday through Saturday, 9AM-9PM.
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