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MARQUETTE
Hero Story
Judy Kitchen serves as the manager of The New Free Store, which recently celebrated five years of providing clothes, linens, cleaning, and hygiene supplies to locals with a feeling of “financial burden.” It is an all-volunteer operation and Judy wears all hats required – store & operations management, volunteer coordination, customer service, donor solicitation and outreach.
The concept is simple. Shoppers have a quota of goods they can get each month and need to fill out a profile when they shop for the first time, but there are no requirements to be a shopper (ie. proof of income). The nonprofit, interfaith group is open to the community. It is located in a small, well-organized building and the volume of items they move through there is very impressive.
Then COVID-19 pandemic occured. Though temporarily closed during the early days of the pandemic, they reopened within a couple months, when clients needed them more than ever.
“We were able to continue to pay for our monthly expenses including the rent and utilities. We were able to purchase to all of those cleaning, hygiene and virus products,” said Kitchen. “Our donors continue to bring us some of those brand new products and bring us the gently used clothing. So it is a wonderful cycle of support.”
The Free Store has over 1,100 registered shoppers, some of which include one person shopping for an entire family.
Judy and her great group of volunteers have stepped up continuously to put everyday, needed items into the hands of their neighbors. Not only do the clients receive things to enhance their lives, they also learn that we're all in this together and that the world is full of caring, unselfish people.
MARQUETTE
Hero Story
Judy Kitchen serves as the manager of The New Free Store, which recently celebrated five years of providing clothes, linens, cleaning, and hygiene supplies to locals with a feeling of “financial burden.” It is an all-volunteer operation and Judy wears all hats required - store & operations management, volunteer coordination, customer service, donor solicitation and outreach.
The concept is simple. Shoppers have a quota of goods they can get each month and need to fill out a profile when they shop for the first time, but there are no requirements to be a shopper (ie. proof of income). The nonprofit, interfaith group is open to the community. It is located in a small, well-organized building and the volume of items they move through there is very impressive.
Then COVID-19 pandemic occured. Though temporarily closed during the early days of the pandemic, they reopened within a couple months, when clients needed them more than ever.
“We were able to continue to pay for our monthly expenses including the rent and utilities. We were able to purchase to all of those cleaning, hygiene and virus products,” said Kitchen. “Our donors continue to bring us some of those brand new products and bring us the gently used clothing. So it is a wonderful cycle of support.”
The Free Store has over 1,100 registered shoppers, some of which include one person shopping for an entire family.
Judy and her great group of volunteers have stepped up continuously to put everyday, needed items into the hands of their neighbors. Not only do the clients receive things to enhance their lives, they also learn that we're all in this together and that the world is full of caring, unselfish people.