HomeFirst Thrift Store
With two successful events behind us, we’re eager to take the HomeFirst Thrift Store to the next level. Our ultimate goal is to make the thrift store look and feel like a true pop-up.
February 26, 2025
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Just recently, Marco, our Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC) at our First-Street interim housing site, conceptualized the HomeFirst Thrift Store, a free shopping experience designed to give residents choice and direct access to the clothing donations we receive from our generous donors. Typically, clothing requests are filled one by one, with requests being made by Case Managers, and CECs pulling specific items from our donation inventory. But Marco envisioned something different: a space where residents could browse, select items themselves, and consider pairing various pieces together in a way that felt authentic to them.
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We've now hosted two thrift store pop-ups in First Street’s community room. Donations were categorized by clothing type (winter wear, interview attire, loungewear, etc.) and organized by size. Residents were given time to “shop” and allowed to take any items that they needed, keeping in mind the needs of others. The response was positive!
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With two successful events behind us, we’re eager to take the HomeFirst Thrift Store to the next level. Our ultimate goal is to make the thrift store look and feel like a true pop-up. We’re hoping to acquire clothing racks and to display a greater amount of clothing, and we’re considering potential partnerships with local organizations to elevate the experience. This is just the beginning. We can’t wait to see how this event evolves!
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About our Community Engagement Coordinators (CECs):
HomeFirst’s Community Engagement Coordinators (CECs) are integral to our operations! With one CEC assigned to each of our shelters or interim housing sites, they engage the public, solicit volunteers to hold skill-building workshops, and host other meaningful events on site. Using a limited budget, and a lot of creativity, they turn our program participants from strangers to neighbors and friends, establish our housing sites as fixtures within the community, and motivate the public to become a part of the solution to ending homelessness.