'Rolling Thrift Store' to visit McCook

A chance for inexpensive mattresses, bargain-priced appliances and free toys doesn't roll around very often. But the Rolling Thrift Store will be bringing those items and more to McCook soon.

Catholic Social Services is sponsoring the "CSS is Us" Rolling Thrift Store Dec. 6 and 7 at the former Stage Store located at the west junction of U.S. Highways 6-34 and 83. The event is being hosted by St. Patrick Church of McCook, St. Ann's Church of rural McCook and Sacred Heart of Hayes Center.

Hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

The thrift store will be selling tables, chairs and sofas; beds, pillows, sheets and blankets; appliances such as TVs, washers, dryers, refrigerators and stoves; small appliances including vacuums, toasters, mixers and alarm clocks.

Appliances will sell for no more than $15, while clothing and miscellaneous items will be $2 or less and many items will be free.

Clothing will be limited to winter clothes, since the Bargain Bazaar thrift store in McCook has such a large supply of regular clothes, said Tom Schik with the Catholic Social Services office in Hastings.

With the Rolling Thrift Store landing so close to the holiday season, the thrift store also will have free toys and free Christmas decorations available.

Donations will be a combination of items from the CSS warehouses in Lincoln and Hastings as well as local donations.

CSS will bring at least four semi-trailers full of merchandise.

"We collect items from across the diocese and Nebraska throughout the year," he said.

For the McCook thrift store, CSS also is collecting items locally. A trailer is scheduled to be in McCook by Nov. 27, parked at East Fourth and E streets.

CSS also received a large donation from Cliff and Tim Lord of Lord's Hardware in Indianola. Lord's maintains a large used appliance warehouse, which needed to be emptied, Tim said.

The Rev. Walsh stopped in Indianola and told the Lord's about the project, which they readily liked.

"It's a good idea if it will help people, especially this close to the holidays," Cliff Lord said.

CSS arrived a few weeks ago with a trailer and a flat-bed to haul away the used appliances. Tim Lord said more than 80 appliances and another dozen pieces of furniture were stacked three high in the trailer. They were taken from Indianola, back to Lincoln to be tested and repaired and will then return to McCook for the thrift store.

Schik said the idea for a rolling thrift store started with a discussion The Rev. Walsh in the Lincoln CSS office.

The two were trying to figure out how to get an over-abundance of furniture and appliances to the rural communities, where there was a definite need, Schik said. The warehouses in Hastings and Lincoln were filling up and CSS was not able to channel the items to the public. "We had a distribution problem," he said.

After developing the idea to put the thrift store on the road, the next step was to figure out how.

Originally, CSS was going to set up a trailer and open it up to the public, Schik said. That trailer idea was dismissed in favor of a concrete, permanent building. He said CSS needs at least 10,000 square feet to host the event. The site in McCook is the largest CSS has ever had with more than 15,000 square feet available.

The first rolling site was Superior last year and the response was overwhelming, Schik said. In the past, CSS has had to make several trips from the thrift store site back to the warehouses for more merchandise over the course of the two-day sale. To avoid this problem in McCook, Schik said CSS is bringing extra items because of the long distance between McCook and the warehouses.

The event provides a great opportunity for a partnership between CSS and the parish members, Schik said. "We've always had a positive response from the parishioners in the host community."

The Rev. Gary Brethour with St. Patrick Church in McCook said he is excited for the project and is enjoying the sole role as host.

"(CSS) has the experience," he said. "The thrift store is bigger than anything we could locally put on."

As the host community, McCook is expected to provide volunteers. "We want people to get excited and to give us a hand," Schik said. "It's a tremendous opportunity to help others."

Volunteers are needed to set up tables, unload trucks and move the merchandise. Local volunteers also will work as door greeters, cashiers and work the floor, according to Brethour.

The project will benefit not only CSS and the parish, but also the community, Brethour said. "We have a cloud hanging over us. The economic downturn, the drought, the impending war, this is one way to get out of the rut," he said. "To heal, we need to do something for others. It is our duty, our mission to help the poor."

Father Brethour said neither CSS nor the parish expects to make money, much less break even with the project. "It's expensive to drive those semi-trailers."

While the thrift store is open to the public, direct letters have been sent through Health and Human Service and Nebraska Community Action agencies to their clients. Those letters, which are being sent across Red Willow, Hitchcock, Frontier and Furnas counties, include a $10 gift certificate toward the thrift store.

Schik encourages shoppers to come early. "We move a lot of furniture on Friday," he said and will continuously unload items as space becomes available.

Volunteers are needed as soon as Monday, Dec. 2, to begin unloading merchandise at the Stage store and they work in shifts throughout the project. Donations also are being currently accepted at St. Pat's.

To volunteer or donate, call St. Patrick Church at 345-6734.