Souls Harbour pays off mortgage thanks to volunteer-run thrift store

A year after opening its volunteer-run thrift store, Souls Harbour Rescue Mission has raised enough money to pay off the mortgage at one of its three Nova Scotia drop-in centres.

CEO Michelle Porter said Mission Mart, which opened last November in the Bayers Lake Business Park, was able to give $115,000 to the Truro drop-in centre, one of three centres operated by the organization for people who are hungry and homeless.

The store is 90 per cent run by volunteers and all of the profits go toward supporting the work Souls Harbour does in Halifax, Truro and Bridgewater.

"I did not see this coming," Porter told CBC's Information Morning. "And on top of that, we were able to raise the funds to finish paying for our elevator so our Halifax shelter will be 100 per cent accessible."

Through donations made by customers at the store, Souls Harbour was also able to pay for more than 12,000 meals for the homeless, Porter added.

When Mission Mart opened last fall, Porter said she had no idea if it could compete with the big-name thrift stores, but it's far exceeded her expectations.

"I put this down to the community really rallying around us," she said. "Once they find out we're there, they check us out, they like it."

Mission Mart sells everything from men's, women's and children's clothing to appliances and toys.

About 100 people volunteer at the store, and half of them have been helping out since the store opened. They've created the same atmosphere that's evident at Souls Harbour's three drop-in centres, Porter said.

"They love being there. They don't have to be there. They want to be there," she said. 

Porter said community members have not only stepped up by volunteering, they've also donated a ton of inventory.

Porter said she's looking for even more volunteers so they can expand the store's hours, and she hopes to use future money to open a shelter specifically for women and children.

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