Rush of donations at Mission Thrift Store Wednesday

Thrifters get ready – there’s going to be some great finds at local thrift stores in the coming days.

In just three hours Wednesday, the Mission Thrift store on Circle Drive in Saskatoon had a room full of donations.

People brought clothes and furniture by the vehicle load.

Store Manager Roxanne Woodley says some people made more than one trip – they dropped off their donations, went home and filled their vehicle again and came back.

(Roxanne Woodley/Submitted photo)

“Everyone that comes by says they have been busy cleaning the whole time they were quarantined, and they’ve been piling up boxes in their garage and they are so happy to unload them,”  she said. “We’ve seen everything from furniture they don’t need anymore, to dishes that they had too many of, lots of clothes, shoes, everything you can imagine.”

Before the pandemic, when donating to thrift stores, every donation was sorted as it came in.  But, now with COVID-19, all donated items need to be quarantined for 72 hours and then cleaned and sorted.

“We launder some, and we spray down everything with alcohol, a bleach solution or a vinegar solution, depending on what the item is.”

Woodley says they are adapting to the changes and are happy to do their part to keep everyone safe.

Staff and volunteers arrive at the store at 9 a.m. but it’s only open to customers from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. because there’s a lot more cleaning that has to be done before the customers arrive.

Since items need to be quarantined for 72 hours, the store is only accepting donations Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.