relief,” Hopson explains.“ We’ re all one crisis away from falling into a desperate situation.”
Sometimes shoppers need to replace belongings lost in a house fire. In another case, someone might just need clothes to prepare for a job interview.“ Whatever the problem, we try our best to solve it,” Hopson says. Shoppers can take home up to 10 items, excluding books, although they can take more if they help sort and stock donations for an hour. Hopson notes that toiletries, including diapers, are the most popular items. The free store organized a toiletry drive for Valentine’ s Day. It does not accept bedding, cribs, car seats, furniture, bath towels or soiled / damaged clothing. The free store needs more donations, volunteers and a metal bin so that donations can be accepted outside of normal business hours.
The demand has been overwhelming and Hopson wants to expand by creating satellite stores and pop-up shops for single moms and students. There’ s no timeline to do so yet, and more volunteers are needed.
“ People can volunteer one hour, one day, or a week— every minute matters,” Hopson adds.
The free store also includes a resource table that provides information on a wide variety of community resources. Cribs for Kids has been the most popular resource, because the free store serves several pregnant women and new mothers.
The community center also houses several other organizations including Head Start classes and a branch of the Penn Hills Library. Hopson says the free store is collaborating with them to create classes on financial literacy, cooking and computers.
Recently, Allegheny County Council Vice President Nicholas Futules presented a proclamation honoring the free store for its impact on the community.
For more information, go to facebook. com / FreeStorePennHills online. n
" It makes us remember the Golden Rule and treat others how we would want to be treated."
Love Your Neighbor
Penn Hills | Spring 2017 | icmags. com 15