Hospital Thrift Store Helps Healing Gardens

Provided by St. Mary Medical Center:

You never know what you’ll find at the St. Mary Thrift Store, but you know what you’ll get: a warm welcome and a chance to make a difference.

You might also go home with a house full of furniture, a rare book, or a perfectly fitting suit by your favorite designer. That’s the fun of thrift store shopping. There’s joy in giving as well.

“It’s like Christmas every day,” says Heidi Cekoric, thrift store manager. “We have a really good reputation among thrift store shoppers as a place to get some great stuff.  We have just as good a reputation for helping the community.”

The main mission of the Community League Thrift Store, located in the Pine Watson Shopping Center in Langhorne, Pa., is to raise funds for the Healing Gardens at St. Mary Medical Center.

“Supporting the thrift store is a great way for people to give and get back,” adds Cekoric. “Every donation made, from a single T-shirt to a complete wardrobe, goes to good use.  If we can’t sell something, we donate it or recycle it. We helped one lady who lost everything in a fire refurnish her whole house.

The selection of merchandise varies continuously, but typically some of the best items are available on Saturday and Monday, after people have had their weekend garage sales or done their spring-cleaning projects.

Cekoric and her staff of 40 volunteers are always looking for “gently used” merchandise including, furniture/accessories; glassware/ceramics; clothing for men, women and children; books and games; jewelry; small appliances; and seasonal items.

“This is a great time of the year to make donations, especially furniture. We get a lot of college kids and first-time apartment dwellers looking for furniture. This is a great way for them to shop and save.”

In addition to the thrift shop, Cekoric runs an annex store a few doors down in the same shopping center. “We sell the better merchandise in the annex,” she explains. “You might find designer clothes with the tags still on, fabulous furniture and other great bargains,” she says.

The St. Mary Thrift Store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All major credit cards are accepted, as well as personal checks with proof of identification.

Donations are accepted Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  No appointment is necessary. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

For more information, to volunteer or to schedule a pickup (of large bulky items), contact Heidi Cekoric at 215.750.8400.