These tough economic times mean belt-tightening for almost everyone, and for non-profits like the Roanoke Rescue Mission, scrutinizing the budget is an ever-increasing challenge in the effort to maintain day to day operations.
The Rescue Mission’s Thrift Shop, located directly across from the Mission itself, is due to undergo a much-needed upgrade which will take place this September in what is being planned as a “Blitz” overhaul. The Shop is in dire need of repairs and updates, including new paint, new checkout counters, and perhaps most of all, new flooring.
In a plan reminiscent of a “While You Were Out” motif, the entire process is slated to take only three days … which happens to include the nights as well. The huge effort is being carefully planned and includes volunteers working round the clock.
According to Joy Sylvester-Johnson, Rescue Mission CEO, two partnering companies, Coca Cola and Kroger have signed on to help; the Coke truck parked out front will hold all the merchandise being stocked for the Grand Opening. Employees from those companies will work shifts to help with the makeover, as well as several church congregations, which will help keep costs to a minimum.
One of the biggest challenges was coming up with a new floor for the 10,000 square foot Thrift Shop that is durable, long-lasting, easy to clean, attractive, and most importantly, affordable. The committee in charge of the project came up with a product most Roanokers probably have not heard of, but many are quickly coming to appreciate. The floor is from a company called “Sierra Stone” located in Canada, and is quite literally tiny natural stone pebbles mixed with epoxy, described as “one of the strongest materials created by modern technology.” The result is a highly durable floor whose actual life span is perhaps yet to be determined.
The stone floors come in many shades and can be custom made with borders, logos, or other designs. One of the most compelling features of the floor is the fact that cleanup is not an issue; all that is required is hot water and a shop vac.
According to Shawn Carey at CB Robinson Ltd., a car dealership in Canada, their shop’s 12,000 sq. ft. Sierra Stone floor is 22 years and going strong; he is “thrilled with the choice.” They use water, Simple Green, and a shop vac to keep it clean.
The Rescue Mission’s discovery of the stone floor has turned out to be a win-win that no one anticipated. At $7 a square foot, it is not inexpensive, but when labor and products for cleaning are factored in over time, many less expensive floors are not as attractive as they first seem. Sylvester-Johnson wondered why more people in our area did not have the stone floor since she had come to believe it an ideal choice for many applications. The reason is simple; most people just haven’t heard of it.
That problem has now been happily rectified; the Rescue Mission is partnering with Sierra Stone to get the word out on their product. The company donated and has already installed the floor for the Thrift Shop lobby, and has set up a display case there containing samples, along with a power point and contact information. With every floor sold, Sierra Stone will donate 50 cents per square foot to the Rescue Mission. According to Charlotte Anders, the Rescue Mission’s Industry General Manager, two customers have already signed on to get the floor and several more are now in the works.
The Mission also had a little fun with the floor search process; once the stone floor was a contender, they decided to test for themselves the claim that only water and a vac is needed for cleaning. They set out a couple sample tiles and invited people to spread whatever they wanted on them. Some of the offenders included: ketchup, jam, egg, chocolate, crayon, mud, oil, and even gum. According to both Sylvester-Johnson and Anders, all of it came off easily with hot water and a vac. The tide quickly turned and the stone floor became a “go.”
Glancing over the old floor — pitted, torn, stained, and dotted with old gum — it is easy to see why.
The unique partnership with Sierra Stone highlights a trend that Sylvester-Johnson points out may be here to stay; “all charities are going to have to figure out other ways to work out their operating budgets” if they are to continue to thrive. She likens the thinking to an individual planning a balanced portfolio.
In light of that reality, she still is an advocate of people in the community being the primary supporters of the Mission … “we want to have the bulk of our income to continue to be donor driven. We don’t want to lose the grass roots, community character of our place. We want every person in the Roanoke Valley to have a part of our pie.” She empathized that, “it really is Roanoke’s Rescue Mission.”
Sylvester-Johnson added that it has always been a top priority to be good stewards of their finances so they can help as many people as possible. She says, “We are a one stop shop for people … who really do hit their bottom.” The Mission provides services across the board for people in need.
Anders, who along with the Mission staff, is looking forward to the day when the Thrift Shop project is completed, says that “even with the new look and updated store, we still plan on providing a reasonable alternative to retail shopping; we are about the lowest priced thrift store around.”
In a few short months, it will also be a very attractive place for members of the community to find items they need at those very low prices.
For more information on the Rescue Mission, or to volunteer for the “Blitz,” call 540-343-7227 or visit www.rescuemission.net. For more information on Sierra Stone, call 540-904-6637.
By Cheryl Hodges [email protected]