The St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop, a major source of funding for the free food and social service programs under the Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada umbrella, will soon be doubling in size.
This week, the 501c3 nonprofit organization signed a lease to occupy to old JC Penney Outlet store on Glendale Avenue in Sparks. This move will greatly increase the impact the St. Vincent’s Programs will have on helping local people living in poverty.
The St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop will begin renovations on the 30,000 square-foot building immediately, and has plans to open a St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop “superstore” to expand the current store which opened at 500 East Fourth Street in 1999.
The new store on Glendale will nearly double the size of the current store, and is also expected to more than double the amount of revenue available to pay for food, clothing, shelter and other free services provided to those in need. 100% of revenue from the St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop stays in the local community to help people and families in need.
Much like the current St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop model, the superstore will feature second hand and vintage furniture, clothing, household items and much more, all of which are donated to our agency by people in our community.
In 2014, these donations made up close to 15 percent of the total operating budget for Catholic Charities. When someone donates to the store, the items are either given away free to clients, or they are sold in the store to help fund 11 other free human needs programs.
In the past five years, the agency has acquired a handful of new programs, and we continue to grow. In 2014, we provided more than 350,000 direct services to clients.
The new St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop is expected to open by Memorial Day of 2015. The Glendale location will also act as a fourth donation drop-off location for our local area. St. Vincent’s hopes to announce a date soon to invite the community to drop off gently used furniture, clothing and other items.
In the meantime, the agency is currently collecting donations at the following three locations: St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop – 500 East Fourth Street Reno, NV 89512 (at Valley Road); Donation Drop-off Center, 4670 Sparks Boulevard (at Vista Avenue in Sparks); and, Donation Drop-off Center, 3590 West Plumb Lane (at McCarran Blvd in Reno).
The original St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop will continue operation in its current location at 500 E. Fourth Street, but on a smaller scale. This is where the agency distributes vouchers to clients for free clothing, jackets, blankets, shoes and other household items on an as-needed basis.
About Catholic Charities & The St. Vincent’s Programs: Established in 1941, Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada (CCNN) is a Nevada-based, 501(c) (3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation operating twelve human service programs including: St. Vincent’s Dining Room, St. Vincent’s Food Pantry, St. Vincent’s Resource Network, St. Vincent’s Affordable Housing, St. Vincent’s Thrift Shop, Holy Child Early Learning Center, Immigration Assistance Program, Adoption Program, and the Kids to Seniors Korner Program. CCNN is committed to providing help and creating hope in our community. From infants to seniors, CCNN assists approximately 41,000 people per month in northern Nevada.
