Grace Thrift Store is here to help those in need

Grace Thrift Store is here to help those in need

Katie Hightower

When recently-unemployed Sandra Guin went to a thrift store one day, she didn’t realize she was walking into her calling. While she stood in line to check out her items, the then owner of the store, Sharon Case, said to her, “If I could find someone to continue this work, I will give them this store.”

“I asked her if she was serious and gave her Max Croft’s business card and he got with her to make it happen,” Guin said.

Case’s thrift store was set up as a 503(c)(3). As such, it could not be sold. It could only be donated. So Croft, President of Community Care Village, accepted the store as a branch of the Community Care Village. The Community Care Village is also a 503(c)(3) that exists for volunteers from Agape Baptist Church to meet the community needs of Jackson County residents.

“It just fell in my lap. God put me in that thrift store line at that moment for this ministry,” Guin said.

While Grace Thrift Store’s primary goal was to raise money to reinvest into the community, the store also has donated items for people in need. 

“We furnish clothes for interviews. People seeking work need something to wear so we give them the clothes they need to get started. Once they land jobs, most come back to the store to volunteer their time to try to pay back for what we gave them,” Guin said.

Grace also furnished bicycles to people who need them for transportation. 

“We will take any bike donations. We actually need someone who can volunteer to fix up bikes that are donated. People need them to get to work. Many of the people we help don’t have a way to get to work. The bikes help so much,” Guin said.

When Agape Church’s Foster Parent Closet did not have what the families needed, workers there sent the families to Grace Thrift Store. Grace furnished those families with the clothes they needed. Grace also gave members of Jackson County’s Arc opportunities to volunteer and furnished clothes to Arc members.

Grace Thrift Store helped anyone with critical needs. Recent tornado outbreaks left several families in Henagar with major needs. The workers at Grace made sure the tornado victims received any items they needed. Grace Thrift Store helped people in abusive situations with items like clothing, furniture, kitchen utensils and bathroom items. 

“We can’t sell mattresses but we can get them to people who need them,” Guin said.

Agape Church and Community Care Village saw the needs of Jackson County residents and adopted branches to adapt to each need. Agape started a community garden behind the church building. The weekly harvests have been donated to foster families, adoptive families and to residents of Rosewood Manor. 

“Agape’s vision is to get a Men’s Rehab Facility, a Senior Care Village, a Shelter for Trafficked Individuals and a Free Medical Clinic. There is a lot of need in this community but we also need a homeless shelter,” Guin said. “People are not just looking for a handout; they’re looking for a way up. Without people helping them, they’re not going to get up. How are they expected to get up? That’s why we’re here.”

Grace Thrift Store is located at 1603 South Broad Street D., Scottsboro, AL 35768. The store is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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