Submitted by Migael Scherer

Thrift Shop volunteers turned household donations into dollars at a record rate in 2019, resulting in over $100,000 contributed to the Lopez community.

“We’re thrilled to have been able to give back to this extent,” said Carol Jones, Board president. “Financial assistance to Lopez Island is our mission.”

Roughly half of these funds were given as Project Grants, now open for 2020. Applicants must be a Lopez nonprofit organization, with a specific project request that will benefit the Lopez Island community. Complete guidelines and application forms are available online (lopezthriftshop.org and lopezrocks.org), at the Lopez Library, and at the Thrift Shop in Lopez Village. Applications are due by Tuesday, March 31.

The Lopez Thrift Shop raises money entirely through retail sales of donated merchandise. Prices, which include sales tax, average $5, with many items less than $1. All work is done by volunteers: sorting; pricing; storing; displaying; selling; and day-to-day cleaning. The final tally of volunteer hours worked in 2019 was over 5,500 hours.

The Lopez Thrift Shop was founded in 1982 to raise money to buy equipment for the Lopez medical clinic. Since that time the Thrift Shop has supported numerous local organizations through various grants and scholarships.