Saint George thrift store celebrates 30 years of parish building

Intermountain Catholic

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Cherri Osking of Phoenix, Ariz., who often visits family in St. George, likes to shop at the St. George Parish thrift store when she's in town because ?everyone is so friendly."

ST. GEORGE — Thirty years ago, a thrift store was born of eight women’s efforts to raise funds to build a church for their burgeoning congregation. After the usual bake sales and garage sales, "they got tired of taking garage-sale leftovers back and forth between storage, and they said, ‘Why don‘t we open up a small storefront instead of using the money to pay for storage?’ And that’s what they did," said Steve Cross at the luncheon on March 19 celebrating the result of those efforts.

In 1981, Mary Iocona, Dee Moncrief, Alma Schneider, Diane Martin, Sue Severance, Christ Sanchez, Mae Wall and Angie Mittleburger opened a small storefront thrift store that required $400 rent. Since then, Iocona, Moncrief and Schneider have died and Martin and Sanchez have moved away. The other three women remain involved with the thrift store.

"The first month they didn’t make enough money to make it go," said Cross, the thrift store manager, who served as master of ceremonies at the anniversary luncheon. "They didn’t have the $400. Alma Schneider reached into her pocket … and paid that first month’s rent. And that set the example that we have followed."

The first month may have been dismal but the hard work paid off. Ten years later, the parish built a new church with funds generated by the thrift store. The number of volunteers at the store has grown to 164 and in the last five years alone it has generated more than $1 million for the building fund, Cross said.

In addition, thrift store volunteers have donated layettes to a hospital in Mexico, furniture and other goods for families who come from the Dove Center, Hope for the Child Brides and others in need, such as those who have suffered house fires.

"The charity cases go from little to big," Cross said. "I wish you could all go with the drivers and see the hope in the recipients’ eyes when that happens. All of this happens because of you."

Many people might think that the thrift store is successful because it generates a lot of money, but "what I care about is the people," Father Martin Picos, pastor, told those at the luncheon as he thanked them for their willingness to work hard and give of themselves. "When somebody is sharing time, even your presence, that is a big deal for people…. What you are doing is more than the money. What you are doing is fulfilling, in your lives, God’s will. And when you are doing that, you are showing to those who are around you your faith, and that is stewardship. Don’t think about the money, think about your presence here."