Staff Writer
“This is how we make our money to supply our food pantries, all 21 soon to be 23 of them. This is our fund-raiser,” said Dixie Shaw, program director of the Caribou Catholic Charities Home Supply and Food Banks of Aroostook.
Aroostook Republican photo/Barb Scott
The interior of the newly relocated Catholic Charities Home Supply Store, located on the Old Van Buren Road in Caribou, is set up in such a way that the public may easily browse from room to room, finding very reasonably priced items, including collectibles, kitchen items, unique furniture, (some handcrafted) dishwashers, linens, yarn, lighting for every room and sporting goods, as well as a room set up as a library.
Shaw was speaking in reference of the new location of the Catholic Charities’ Home Supply store, now located at the site of the previous P.L. Willey store on the Old Van Buren Road.
“We just outgrew our previous location,” said Shaw. “Before we moved in here, we were paying rent at three different locations, and the rent was killing us, but we really couldn’t afford to purchase this site when it first became available.”
She added, “Late last fall we were again approached about the possibility of acquiring this space, we were in a very challenging situation, running around from three different locations, so when the price was lowered, we made the purchase in April.”
The new Home Supply Store is open to the public.
“Our items for sale are about 99 percent recycled (used), it has been very successful,” stated Shaw.
“Items are in very good condition, we are very careful what we accept for donations. Our prices are very low,” said Shaw. “People don’t have a lot of money to buy brand new things, so this helps, but I can’t stress enough that this is not a place for getting things for nothing.
“This is how we raise the funds necessary to keep our trucks and staff going to continue filling the food pantries across the county,” she added.
“We sell the weird, the unusual and the unique,” laughed Shaw.
The store is an impressive sight. The large rooms, are bright and filled but not randomly crammed with household items ranging from wonderful bedroom furniture, kitchen tables and chairs, living room pieces, lamps, kitchen ware, sporting goods, odds and ends for decorating, linens, curtains, most everything one could need to set up housekeeping. There is also a wonderful room with wall shelves filled with books for all ages.
The most striking thing about the supply store is that often times those of us who enjoy rummaging around in this type of store are often discouraged because nothing is organized, the good is mixed with the bad and the dust is oftentimes overwhelming.
You won’t experience that here. Everything is displayed with like items, the pieces are clean and the entire area is well lighted. Customers are asked to remember where the revenue from purchases from this store go; please don’t try to barter the prices.
The energetic, tireless, constantly in motion, program director also stressed, “We accept donated items, and ‘Cash, five dollars is a lot to us.” There is a donation jar available for those perusing the store.
One other thing Shaw would like everyone to be aware of is the rule for dropping off donations at the Home Supply store.
“Items may be left, only when we’re open,” she enforced. “Items left when we are closed is so, so, not OK. Anyone leaving items may face prosecution.”
Shaw explained that the main reasons donations are not be left when the site is closed are that when this occurs, often times, they are unable to even get to the door to open the store, because things have just been piled up right in front.
Also in the event donations were dropped off with no one around and it rains then she and her staff are left to deal with the time-consuming job of trying to get things dried out and they don’t have the time or the space to do this.
Of course another reason is that again, while the site does look at items donated, they do not accept old refrigerators, televisions sets, etc., because many times those items, even through guaranteed to be in working order are not.
“We will pick up items Wednesday through Friday, but we do not deliver,” said Shaw, “so if you have a small vehicle don’t expect load a room full of furniture into it.”
The next step in this relocation project is to construct the food warehouse, so that eventually all of the sites will be in one area. Shaw noted that they are looking at about $70,000 to get the 50 foot by 100 foot food warehouse ready to use.
“We’re looking at putting up all the necessary racks for the food, concrete, electrical and insulation costs. Once it is completed it will be a ‘drive through food panty’, where our clients will be able to enter one door, be loaded up with the food pallets, then drive out the other end.”
Shaw, a proven advocate for seeing that no one ever goes without food said, “I love this job, trying to fill the needs and demands created by all sorts of different situations, dealing with the public, it gets kind of crazy, it’s a lot of very hard work but I love it. You know, there are any number of reasons that people need food assistance, sometimes it a matter of not having enough money ,what with food, medicines and heating fuel. Sometimes children, have to make do with what they can find in the cupboard.”
“I always tell people, ‘I’ll be begging on a street corner near you, trying to collect food for our pantries.’ “The need to eat doesn’t go away,” she added
Business hours for the Catholic Charities Home Supply Store are Wednesday through Friday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturdays 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
