Desiring a better world for our children and a strong, vibrant community are worthwhile endeavors. One way to ensure we, as a town, are travelling down that path is to envision new ways of helping Mother Earth and of helping our neighbors in need.
Second hand stuff can be turned into second chances at St. Vincent de Paul’s (SVdP) Thrift Stores. SVdP Thrift Stores make available low-cost and no-cost quality goods. SVdP Thrift Stores help build a stronger community by distributing clothing and household goods to those in need, creating employment and job training, and providing the community with a recycling program for both goods and electronics.
We are all familiar with the 4 R’s:
Reduce: Waste prevention, means consuming and throwing away less. Reuse: Reusing items -- by repairing them, donating them to charity Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.
Recycle: Recycling transforms materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources.
Rebuy: In order to make recycling economically feasible, we must buy recycled products and packaging. You are not recycling unless you're buying recycled products. (Adapted from UC Davis R4 Recycling: http://r4.ucdavis.edu/about/index.html 01/11/2008)
Moreover, we can upcycle as well. Upcycling is the process of converting useless products into new products Upcycling is the opposite of downcycling, which is the other half of the recycling process. Downcycling involves converting materials and products into new materials of lesser quality. Reusing and repurposing items in our DIY age is at our fingertips (there are even magazines focused solely on these ideas) and can be a fun family affair.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. During FY 2012, free clothing and household vouchers valued at $333,000+ were given through SVdP’s Peninsula Family Resource Center home visits and at SVdP’s Homeless Help Centers to help people shop at SVdP Thrift Stores for clothes, beds and basic furnishings at no charge. Giving changes lives. Donating your items to your nearest SVdP Thrift Store today will help the environment and our community. Uphold your community and upcycle your goods!
Thrift Store shopping may not be a new idea for conserving our natural resources, but it sure is cool (thanks Macklemore!) Strategically located throughout San Mateo County, proceeds from SVdP’s Thrift Store sales help feed the hungry, keep families housed and sustain our community. Be green and do good – donate and shop at SVdP’s Thrift Stores!
SVdP’s Thrift stores are located in Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo Redwood City, and San Bruno. For more information, please visit: http://svdp-sanmateoco.org/stores.html
