by UPB Editor, December 31, 2024
Year-End Wrap Up: Our Impact 2024
I just want to congratulate everyone on the tremendous impact that you have had on our community and beyond this year. We had an amazing year as a store and it is all thanks to you and your hard work. I know there are days when the store can be overwhelming or frustrating, but please know that your impact is real and is amazing. Thank-you all! While we cannot possibly quantify the lives we touch just by being an open and welcoming community store, we have been trying to quantify some of the other ways we have made a difference in our world. Plus, I love numbers.
First, we did over $136,000 in sales this year! This level of income in incredible and represents an all time high. This income allowed us to spend over $10,700 on charitable giving. Of this we spent $2800 in charitable distribution, and the rest was used to buy diapers, socks, underwear, and toiletries to give to our partner organizations and meet special requests. We have a subscribe and save order coming in every month now, which has brought in 62 cases of diapers, 40 packs of socks, 85 packs of underwear, 28 cases of soap, and we have started in the last couple of months including toothpaste and shampoo as well. Adele has also overseen our special requests.
In terms of our donations out, Adele wrote the following:
“In 2024, TT volunteers packed up 2,440 bags of clothing which we then donated out to our 15-plus partner agencies so that they could clothe adults, families and children who were experiencing housing insecurity, financial insecurity, recent relocation to the United States, trauma related to eviction or destruction of their homes.
This translates to approximately 25,620 pounds of clothing, or 12.81 tons. That’s a whole lot of hauling and lifting and tossing and delivering!
This does not include the musical instruments, toiletries and diapers we donated with some of these donations out.
This also does not include the many, many bags donated to the Planet Aid bins, or starting in September, the Helpsy Bin, for textile recycling.”
All in all, this is amazing. Great job everyone, and I look forward to another wonderful year.
Thanks again!
-Erin V., co-coordinator of Thrifty Threads
