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What Does Your Local FM Thrift Store Give Back To?

Learn what your favorite thrift stores are doing to give back!

Buying secondhand comes with a plethora of benefits, from the sustainability of reusing to the enjoyment of finding unique items, and even the excitement of being a part of something that already has a wealth of history. But, there’s another positive note to thrift shopping: many secondhand stores work with local organizations to support the community. So, whether you’re donating after your spring clean or shopping for something new to you, you can support your community in different ways! Let’s check out what our local thrift stores do and learn what causes you can support!

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Stores

There are eight locations of the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Stores around the state of North Dakota, each location supporting the mission of the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch program. The program’s mission is “to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ.” What started on a small ranch near Mapleton, ND in 1952 transformed into one of the largest social service agencies in North Dakota—with big support being from their thrift stores! When you shop or donate at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Stores, you are helping to give children in our communities the tools to succeed. Learn more about the organization on its website!

1601 32nd Ave S, Fargo, ND
(701) 297-4166 289

51st Ave S, Fargo, ND
(701) 356-4848

2101 N University Dr, Fargo, ND
(701) 356-4061

1001 4th Ave N, Fargo, ND
(701) 280-2371

619 13th Ave E, West Fargo, ND
(701) 356-5152

1500 Center Ave W, Dilworth, MN
(218) 233-1266

dakotaranch.org
Facebook: Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Store
Instagram: @dbgr52

Savers

While Savers® is an international company with locations in the U.S., Canada and Australia, their locations partner with local nonprofit organizations, and our local Savers® is no different. The local FM store partners with the YWCA Cass Clay, the “largest emergency shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence, homelessness, and other crisis situations in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.” When you donate your items, the store takes them on behalf of the nonprofit, then they pay the nonprofit for the items, which in turn helps to fund the programs that serve the community.

1623 38th St SW, Fargo, ND
(701) 277-1447
Facebook: @SaversFargo
Instagram: @savers_thrift

Another bonus that comes with shopping at Savers® is that you can shop and do it in an environmentally conscious way. The store prides itself on allowing its shoppers and its customers to take part in reusing and recycling items in our community! Plus, every time you donate to Savers®, you get a 20% coupon to use on your purchase—who doesn’t want that?

New Life Center Thrift Store

New Life Center, the overarching organization for the New Life Center Thrift Store, offers programming to help men in the community “move from homeless and hurting to whole and healthy.” The New Life Center Thrift Store supports and aids that mission. All profits from the thrift store go back into the program and services that the center provides. Those participating in the New Life Center program are provided with work opportunities to gain job experiences and skills. When you shop at the thrift store, you’re supporting things like the New Life Center emergency shelter, daily free community meals and a variety of programs offered. Learn more about those programs and about the center on their website fargonlc.org

221 19th St N, Fargo, ND
(701) 235-4453
Facebook: @newlifethriftnd
Instagram: @newlifecenterthrift

Did you know?
You can drop off donation items all across the community at any of their donation bins. And, anyone who wants to help support the New Life Center can participate in the Adopt-a-Bin program. Volunteers then spend about one hour a week collecting and bringing the bins’ donations to take to the store. See how you can get involved at fargonlc.org/clothing-bins!

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store

St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) Thrift Store in Fargo operates as the local organization, part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. SVdP is a Catholic lay organization with a goal to “lead men and women to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering…” Through the work of its members, called Vincentians, they can work to meet their mission of “ending poverty through systemic change” and bringing individuals closer to god. By shopping at the SVdP thrift store, you can directly support the efforts of this organization. Learn more information about the history of SVdP and more at svdpfargo.org.

2796 5th Ave S Suite B, Fargo, ND
(701) 364-9404
Facebook: @stvincentdepaulfargo

The Arc Attic Treasures

The Arc provides positive and engaging opportunities to individuals in the community with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Arc Attic Treasures thrift stores fund the many programs the Arc offers, like their Life Academy which provides leadership skills and tools, the Scholarship Program which offers learning and training beyond high school, the YES! I AM CREATIVE art classes and much more. The stores also offer a Retail Internship to work on training to meet their goals for those with I/DD and who are age 16 and older. When you shop at The Arc Attic Treasures, you support the programs that meet The Arc of Cass Clay’s mission of “providing advocacy, education and social opportunities for people with I/DD in our community!” Learn more about the program, the store and how you get involved on their website, arccassnd.org

255 N University Dr, Fargo, ND
(701) 232-6641 3201

43rd St S, Fargo, ND
(701) 364-9762

Facebook: The Arc Attic Treasures

Goodwill Retail Store

The Goodwill Retail Store is part of Easter Seals Goodwill ND, an organization with a rich history, born of two separate organizations that came together to do more to serve more communities. In 1947, The North Dakota Chapter of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults (changed to North Dakota Easter Seals in 1950, and now the over-branching organization is called Easterseals, Inc.) was founded in Jamestown, ND to offer services to children and adults with disabilities. In 1996, they merged with Goodwill Industries (an organization dedicated to serving people with “a range of barriers to employment including a lack of education, welfare dependency, a criminal record or advanced age”) to become Easterseals Goodwill ND, Inc. It’s important to know the history of the organization to understand who and how its retail stores help support its mission. When you donate to their stores, you give items with life left in them a chance to be bought at a lower price for individuals in the community, and as you shop at Goodwill, you support a large variety of programs that help a wide range of people in the community that may have a barrier affecting their quality of life. Some examples of programs and services Goodwill supports are Residential and Independent Habilitation Services, Aging Services, Day Support Services and so much more. Learn more at esgwnd.org!

4325 13th Ave. S. Suite 1, Fargo, ND
(701) 373-8393

1525 32nd Ave. S., Fargo, ND
(701) 566-8511

Facebook: @ESGWND

St. Francis Thrift Store

St. Francis Thrift Store and Outreach directly support members of our community who are in need of assistance for anything from heating their homes and keeping their lights on to paying for their medications or keeping clothes on their families backs. According to a board member, since 2009, St. Francis Thrift Store has donated over one million dollars to meet the needs of people in the community. They are able to find these people who need help by receiving referrals from almost everywhere in the community, including The Salvation Army, the Women’s Care Center, the YWCA and all of the local churches (not just the catholic churches). Although the store used to be part of St. Vincent de Paul, they are an entirely different entity now in order to reach more in the community. They work with all of these organizations to find the recipients of their funding, which all come from their thrift stores. When they receive donations for the store, they sort the items three different ways: they give clothing and household items away if any of their referrals need them, they stock their inventory at the store to sell and bring in financial donations and they also take anything that is unsellable or not needed, pack it into a semi-truck and ship that overseas to developing nations to be used where it can. Truly nothing goes to waste with their process. When you shop or donate to St. Francis Thrift Store you are directly helping a family keep their heat on this winter, make sure they have a dining room table to eat on and so much more!

1425 1st Ave S,
Fargo, ND

(701) 235-5944
Facebook: St. Francis Thrift Store and Outreach Program

To thank the community for the many years of support at their thrift store, St Francis Thrift Store had an entire store-wide sale of 25% off for the entire month of January, and may bring that back this month! Keep an eye out on their Facebook for details!

The Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity ReStore

As part of the local Habitat for Humanity organization, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore sells high-quality, reused home goods, appliances and building materials. The parent organization, Habitat for Humanity, is an international organization that works to get people into affordable and safe homes. They also are active with advocacy efforts that “focus on policy reform to remove systemic barriers preventing low-income and historically underserved families from accessing adequate, affordable shelter.” The area organization, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity (LAHFH), works locally to bring that mission to life right in our community. When you shop at the ReStore, you are aiding in that mission to bring accessible and safe housing to our local community. Find anything from cabinets to plumbing fixtures to tools for your next DIY project! LAHFH has also served communities internationally by building and providing housing. Learn more about the local organization and the larger Habitat for Humanity organization at lakeagassizhabitat.org

210 11th Street N,
Moorhead MN

218-284-5253
Facebook: @lakeagassizhabitat

If you’re finishing up a building project, you can take part in the LAHFH Deconstruction Program. As part of this program, all materials will be removed from your site by LAHFH workers and quickly and carefully taken to the ReStore. You will save on labor and disposal fees and all materials that are salvaged serve as tax-deductible donations! Proceeds at the store will directly support Habitat homes built in the Cass Clay counties.

Jazzy & Mumbos Thrift Store

he first of its kind in the FM area, Jazzy & Mumbos Thrift Store has a similar inventory to the other thrift stores, but an entirely different mission—helping the area’s furry friends. This is a 100% volunteer-run, nonprofit thrift store that supports pet owners who are in need of assistance with their animals. They help with a percentage of the billing for unexpected expenses for veterinary care as well as food, shelter and, in some cases, assisting animals in need of finding a new home. Your donations to the store that will be sold will directly fund these expenses for local pet owners who need it, as will the profits from your shopping at the store. Learn more about the nonprofit store and what pets they are currently supporting at jazzynmumbosthriftstore.weebly.com

3214 US-10
Moorhead, MN
(218) 477-1966
Facebook: @Jazzy & Mumbos Animal Aid Thrift Store

Since the store is fully volunteer-run, they are always in need of volunteers. You will get 50% off $10.00 or more as a full-time volunteer and 35% off $10.00 or more as a part-time volunteer. If you volunteer, you can bring your children and pets, as long as you watch and clean up after them!

Written by Geneva Nodland

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