RSVP to hold Thrift Shop Seminar July 1

While many people choose to do their shopping at major department stores, at specialty shops or at outlet malls, there’s no questioning the importance and the necessity of thrift shops in Sussex County and throughout the state.

Many shops operate largely with the help of volunteers, with Sussex County’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program providing many of the workers for this segment of the area’s marketplace.

Sussex County RSVP will bring together a number of thrift shops from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday, July 1, at the Delaware Department of Transportation building at Route 113 and Route 1 in Georgetown in an effort to network, to educate and to assist in their important community-driven missions.

“We partner with seven thrift shops in Sussex County, and many of them needed help, so we just really felt like we should put something together for them,” said Linda Rogers, volunteer coordinator for the RSVP program. “This year, we are focusing on customer service and on crime prevention, but we are really there to support and assist our partners in any way that we can. They provide a very needed service, with all of the money they collect going back into the community.”

Featured speakers will include Brenda Whitehurst from the YWCA and Delaware State Police Trooper Jorge “George” Camacho. The conference is open to all Sussex County thrift shops that are part of the RSVP network. Lunch will be provided by RSVP.

“These thrift shops help the community in many different ways, but we’ve also found that they really just enjoy the opportunity to network with people from other shops,” said Rogers. “This is a way for us to help them become better organized and to be better business people. We want to help them succeed.”

The seven Sussex County thrift shops that are part of the RSVP network include the Christian Storehouse in Millsboro; New Life Thrift Shop, Encore and God’s Way in Delaware’s coastal areas; the Good Samaritan Thrift Shop in Laure; and Robin Hood and Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Georgetown. All provide vital services to the southern Delaware community and are supported by volunteers from RSVP.

“These shops help the less fortunate in our communities, and we need to help and assist them in any way that we can,” said Bob Wheatley, who serves on the advisory council for RSVP and is also a longtime Sussex County businessman. “I think everyone on the council and with the organization feels the same way. We are all willing and able to help out in these types of projects.”

For information about the programs and services offered by RSVP, call Rogers at 302-856-5815 for more information.

RSVP is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and is the largest organized senior volunteer effort in the nation. It recruits and places adults who are at least 55 years of age in volunteer positions at local nonprofit, public and governmental agencies. RSVP is sponsored and supported by the state of Delaware.