Fall is just around the corner, as little as many of us might like to think of it. With the cooler weather also comes increased spending for many people as they try to find ways to pay for school supplies, new clothes, and more. Thrift stores can help provide a solution.
Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Fall is just around the corner, as little as many of us might like to think of it. With the cooler weather also comes increased spending for many people as they try to find ways to pay for school supplies, new clothes, and more. Thrift stores can help provide a solution.
Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Fall is just around the corner, as little as many of us might like to think of it. With the cooler weather also comes increased spending for many people as they try to find ways to pay for school supplies, new clothes, and more. Thrift stores can help provide a solution.
Buying second-hand clothes or other items once came with a stigma, according to the Thrift World website. However, that began to change after the Industrial Revolution when urban populations grew at the same time as clothes became cheaper and more disposable than they had ever been before. When Christian charities began collecting and selling used items to help fund their programs, thrift shops began to gain popularity.
By now, many people have embraced the idea of reusing old clothes and other items, whether they want to save money, support charities, or reduce waste. As the Thrift World website notes, studies indicate that up to 77 per cent of Millennials prefer to buy clothing that helps to preserve the environment, at least when they can. National Thrift Day on Aug.
17 was a celebration of this trend. The celebration is intended to support local thrift shops and raise public awareness of what various charitable organizations are doing, as the National Day website explains, adding that thrift shops “aim to help those most vulnerable in communities and give back to the needy.” This purpose aligns very well with the goals of the Kildonan MCC Thrift Shop at 445 Chalmers Ave.
The store’s website notes that with goods ranging from clothes to antiques and furniture, the store is “an affordable and eco-friendly way to shop.” Like the first thrift shops, the Kildonan MCC Thrift Shop supports programs to help people in need. The MCC Thrift website notes some of the charities that the funds support, including school kits for students in places like South Sudan or eco-friendly technology in Zimbabwe.
On Aug. 17, the store celebrated the event with discounts, balloons, food trucks, and more. Although the parking lot was full, even in the morning, the store is big enough that congestion was only a minor problem, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed.
Outside, people had the opportunity to buy Jamaican food, hot dogs, and lemonade while helping to support people in need. Although it can be difficult for some people to imagine, poverty is a problem in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the country’s official poverty rate has been increasing, moving from 6.
4 per cent in 2020 to 9.9 per cent in 2022. As many people struggle with rising prices and low-paying jobs, support from charitable organizations is important.
On special days or throughout the year, thrift shops can be reminders of the needs of people in the community or around the world, as well as of the need to be good stewards of the world’s resources. For organizations like the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) that grew out of Christian principles, the idea of reducing waste can combine well with concepts of caring for people in need, both in Canada and around the world. Monday mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.
Christian ideals can help give people the impetus to care for others. Isaiah 58 describes God’s people sharing food with the hungry, providing wanderers with shelter, and providing clothes for those in need. Helping the hungry and oppressed will help the people of God to shine.
In the New Testament, the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 makes a similar point, linking caring for the poor and oppressed with God’s favour. Ever since its first beginnings, the Mennonite Central Committee has worked to meet people’s needs. As the MCC website explains, the organization began as a response to famine and disease in southern Russia, now Ukraine.
Hearing that their friends and family were suffering, North American Mennonites sent representatives and supplies to Ukraine and later expanded the new Mennonite Central Committee to help people in other areas of the world. Manitoba is not experiencing a famine, but many people have very real needs. According to the Food Banks Canada website, food bank visits in March 2023 broke all records for usage, indicating that many Canadians have been struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living.
For people with limited incomes, every penny can make a difference. At the Kildonan MCC thrift shop, as at thrift shops elsewhere, people with few resources can reduce their spending on clothes, books, and other needs. The community around them can help by donating used goods to thrift stores, helping as volunteers, or donating to thrift stores and the charities they support.
National Thrift Day is over, but people can still support the principles behind the celebration. At the Kildonan MCC Thrift Shop and elsewhere, thrift shops play an important part in the church and the community. Advertisement Advertisement The Free Press acknowledges the financial support it receives from , which makes our coverage of religion possible.
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