Our community of volunteers make the difference.

Ruth has been a core member of our cashier team on our Senior Discount Wednesdays - the team has seen Ruth build many meaningful relationships with customers, fellow volunteers, and staff members.

Learn a little bit more about Ruth:

“I moved two years ago from Atlanta to be near my daughter and volunteered at the Thrift Shop to make new friends and connect with the community that I care about. I lived here 40 years ago and I’m so happy to be back to the Island. I’m loving my time spent each week at the Thrift and I always end my shift feeling great - it’s my way of giving back.

Hiking and walking is what I love the most and living on the Island is a great place for both. My daughter and I spent 3 weeks last fall walking 200 miles on the Camino in northern Spain which was a challenge and great fun. Hoping to do a repeat in 2024.

I would encourage anyone with a few spare hours to join the terrific group of people who put in so much time and effort in support of the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services. It’s so worthwhile and fulfilling.”

Hillary’s love of thrifting brought her to volunteer and started with us in February 2022 logging 316 hours.

“I had long wanted to work with a charity organization. I am also a lifelong thrifter and secondhand treasure hunting lover and have always been curious of the inter workings of a thrift shop. As a long-ish time Mercer Island resident I am a big fan of the MI thrift shop and the good the organization does in the community. My curiosities aligned and I joined up. It’s been over a year and a half now of volunteering and I love it more than ever.”

“A meaningful thrift shop moment would probably simply be how much it means to me. I love the small community feel. I always see a friend or neighbor in the shop, I love seeing the other volunteers and employees and the kinship I feel with them. I truly look forward to my volunteer day every week.”

“Maybe it’s not advice, but I’d tell new volunteers that the MI Thrift Shop is a wonderful place to spend your time. The staff is so kind and really care about the volunteers and finding the best place for you to work and for your skills to be utilized or developed. It’s a wonderful place to be!”

We feature Louise this month, as she has been volunteering since December 2021 with 740 hours recorded. She is a delight to have in the shop, and we know that the cashier counter is covered when she is here.

"I really enjoy the staff and volunteers I work with. They are always friendly and helpful. Especially with all the errors I did on the register the first few weeks (I have gotten better since then)."

"I look forward to my shifts, interacting with the customers and hearing some of their stories - as anyone can tell, I love to talk."

I would tell anyone who is thinking about volunteering:

• Just do it

• Try new things

• Meet new people

• Have a good time

• Laugh a lot

Thank you, Louise, for your dedication to MI Thrift Shop and MI Youth & Family Services.

My daughter Katie and I have always loved thrifting together and wanted to try volunteering at our own local thrift store to learn more about how the whole process works. We started volunteering during the pandemic when MITS was barely open and operating just a couple of days out of the Community Center, and because we were part of a skeleton crew of volunteers at that time, we got to learn in a hands-on way about so many parts of the operation. It's made us even more passionate about and committed to the mission - from providing a service to the community as an outlet for donations, keeping valuable items out of landfills, selling high value goods at prices more within reach than retail, providing jobs and volunteer opportunities, and of course generating revenue to support our own community's critical services. We're both proud to be a part of MITS on all these levels.

At MITS: Have fun knowing that no matter what you're doing in the value chain at MITS, it's of value. Every little piece of work contributes to the overall success of the operation and it's awesome seeing what community volunteers and MITS staff can accomplish together in support of our community.

Bonnie has been a volunteer with the MI Thrift Shop since 2016. She has contributed so much to the shop from cashiering to stocking shelves to pricing the best toys. When she isn’t at the Thrift Shop you will find her hiking with one of her many hiking groups, walking, or gardening.

She first heard about us through a friend of hers that volunteered at the time. When looking to volunteer, she wanted to benefit her community and when she learned what the Thrift Shop did in providing funding for senior services and school counselors. She liked the idea of contributing to those functions.

“[My] most meaningful moments at the shop are helping someone find just what they are looking for. Our local customers are so appreciative to have a place to shop on the island. All our customers are very impressed with our merchandise and variety of goods. I get lots of positive feedback, always nice. I also enjoy visiting with friends and neighbors as they check out.”

One piece of advice to volunteers from Bonnie, “Meet people. Volunteers, employees, and customers are all wonderful.”