Ridgefield Thrift Shop Offers Thanks to Community, $500,000 Donated to 72 Local Nonprofits

As we enter this time of Thanksgiving, we would like to take this opportunity to give thanks. In 2019, the Ridgefield Thrift Shop donated $500,000 — half a million dollars — to 72 other nonprofit organizations in the area. We couldn’t have done this without the very generous support of our community.

It has been a busy year. Most days you can find a line of eager shoppers at our door, waiting for our doors to open. Clothing, toys, and homegoods fly off the shelves almost as soon as our volunteers can put things out. Our recent Christmas display drew a record-breaking number of shoppers, and very quickly the overflowing displays began to look bare. Yet just as we despair that we will run out of goods, more donations arrive. A truck pulls up at our donation dock, loaded with household goods from a family that is moving out of the area. People drop off items left-over from a tag sale held over the weekend, or boxes of holiday decor that is no longer needed. The kitchen items, linens, books, clothing and toys are unpacked, the goods organized, cleaned and priced, and once again, our shelves our full.

We are frequently taken aback by the quality of the items we receive. Designer clothing — many pieces barely used, or with the tags still on — are received on a regular basis. We receive so much of this, in fact, that when we moved into our beautiful new location in the spring of 2017, we included a special designer area. We have received new televisions, beautiful furniture, expensive jewelry -- wonderful donations we are thrilled to have.

However, as much as we appreciate these valuable pieces, it’s the everyday items that are the bread and butter of our operation. The boxes and bags of toys, homegoods and apparel we receive every day allow us to continue our mission of supporting other non-profits in the area.

So thank you to our wonderful Ridgefield community for your continued support. We truly couldn’t do it without you!