Every year the average American throws away 65 pounds of clothes. Meanwhile, there’s an average of 42 general items laying around homes, collecting dust from disuse.
But getting rid of these unwanted items could be as easy as donating them to The UGM of Salem Mission Store where 100% of proceeds from community purchases fund programs helping transform UGM guest lives.
And the benefits of donations don’t end there. It’s here where men, women and children staying at the Mission have access to shop the store for the items they want and need, free of charge.
Once guests receive vouchers, they’re able to browse through the vast selection of clothing items available, made possible by you. Shopping alongside our community, they can choose items that fit their style and preferences.
Guest Services Assistant Mary Campbell knows, firsthand, the positive impact that Mission Store donations have on guests.
Regularly she takes the women from Simonka Place, UGM’s women’s shelter, on a shopping trip to our store where they pick out pants, shirts, and jackets, just to name a few essentials. Their response? Joy and gratitude.
“There are ladies that come [into the shelter] with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” says Campbell. Although clothing may be a seemingly simple physical need, it is tangible evidence of God’s love for them. “[It’s] one important piece to the puzzle of the beginning of their journey to ending homelessness.”
Your donation has the ability to care for individuals in a way that your dusty closet never can! Drop off your items today at the warehouse, 1100 Front St NE, Salem. And if you need to fill the new void in your closet, the Mission Store is close by on 885 Commercial St NE, Salem.
