Neepawa鈥檚 Salvation Army thriving at new location
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- Published on Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Photos by Eoin Devereux. Pictured is Neepawa鈥檚 Salvation Army Thift Store, as it appears at its current location in the old Co-op building.
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
It鈥檚 almost been a full year since Neepawa鈥檚 Salvation Army moved into its new location within the former Co-op building on Mountain Avenue. And while the transition into the larger space hasn鈥檛 come without a few hiccups, Neepawa and Area Salvation Army manager Amanda Naughton-Gale said that overall experience has been extremely positive.
鈥淲e are so impressed with the year so far. It鈥檚 really exceeded our expectations. We鈥檝e been busy since day one and we continue to be busy. Lots of stuff going in and lots of stuff going out. It鈥檚 been such a great transition for us,鈥� stated Naughton-Gale. 鈥淭he amount of clothing and winter items and even summer items have really allowed us to, obviously meet the needs of the community, but also meet the needs of some of our clients. We鈥檝e got so much more variety and we can put out so much more then people are able to get the things they need, almost immediately.鈥�
More space
The new space that the organization moved into late in 2017 is 6,000 square feet (sq. ft.), with 3,000 sq. ft. specifically for retail. That was 1,300 sq. ft. more than their previous location at 309 Davidson Street. Naughton-Gale noted that it took them a little bit of time to figure out the flow of the building. She acknowledged their processing room has been altered about five times over the course of the last 12 months, but now it鈥檚 set up in a way that works for everyone.
For employees, the move has been positive, as it has required the hiring of additional staff. In total, there are five employees working either on a full-time, part-time or on a casual basis. That鈥檚 nearly double what was required at the previous location. Naughton-Gale added that they鈥檝e also had a great response to their volunteer list, as anywhere from 16 to 20 regular volunteers come in and help them out.
Other benefits
As for the other aspects of the Salvation Army鈥檚 campaign aside from the thrift store, Naughton-Gale said the additional space has allowed for the exploration and expansion of those other important services.
鈥淎lready, the business of the store has allowed us to provide different services. So my focus now is more on the family services side, as opposed to the thrift store side. I鈥檓 now more able to focus on the needs of our clients and really see how we can help people. So, one of those things that we did this year was gather community partners together to see what they saw as our role in the community. And from that, we鈥檝e been able to pick up a couple of things that should be priorities,鈥� said Naughton-Gale. 鈥淎nother thing we鈥檙e moving ahead on is the food explorers program. That sees kids from the ages of 9 to 11 to participate in a seven-week course that teaches them how to cook. How to easily do things at home. That鈥檚 an example of other programs we鈥檝e been able to move on because of the new location.鈥�
Currently, a customer appreciation day has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 1. Naughton-Gale hopes everyone will come down and help them celebrate the successful conclusion of their first year in the new location.
The interior of the Salvation Army at its current location on Mountain Avenue is much larger than at the old location.
