Church Mouse Thrift Shop volunteer Kenny Lewis hands change to customer Loretta Streeter at the nonprofit store on Main Street in Peoria. The shop, which gives all proceeds to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and Lutheran Hillside Village, is seeking more volunteers. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

Volunteering for more than 20 years at the Church Mouse Thrift Shop in Peoria has been rewarding in many ways for Judy Huff.

These days the soon-to-be octogenarian and her husband, Merle, mostly handle donation-related duties at the nonprofit store on Main Street. However, Huff recalls times when she was able to help people down on their luck who came into the store with threadbare clothing and worn-out shoes by making sure they left with a warm jacket and sturdy footgear.

“If there’s a need, we certainly do take care of that. That’s a good feeling to be able to do that,” Huff said. “Or if it’s cold and a child comes in with just a thin little sweater on, they’re going to leave with a coat.”

Operated by the Lutheran Women of Greater Peoria at 600 W. Main Street, the thrift shop attracts a wide variety of customers, including students from nearby Bradley University and community theater folks looking for vintage clothing for costuming. The store is packed with donated clothing and accessories, furniture and home decor, linens, small appliances and kitchen items, books, crafts and holiday decorations.

Customer Loretta Streeter of Peoria left with several bags of merchandise on a recent Saturday, noting, “I come in about once a week. I like the prices and the people. I’m able to find what I need, and I can afford it.”

The Huffs are among about 120 volunteers who help four paid employees keep the Church Mouse Thrift Shop running smoothly. The shop is seeking more volunteers to help with jobs such as organizing and stocking books, sorting and hanging clothes, bagging purchases and organizing shelves and racks.

“We can never have too many volunteers,” said Pepper Bauer, president of the Lutheran Women of Greater Peoria. “Just like with a lot of groups, our volunteers are aging.”

Kenny Lewis, whose wife Shirley has managed the thrift shop for about 15 years, said, “The volunteers are what make this place roll. A lot of our volunteers are 75- or 85-year-old widows who work once a month for three hours. We’re very flexible.”

Assistant manager Joan Resler added that some volunteers are snowbirds in the winter who only work in the summer or fall.

Joan Resler, assistant manager at the Church Mouse Thrift Shop in Peoria, hangs donations in the nonprofit shop on Main Street. Resler said the shop is seeking more volunteers. Volunteers are able to choose the number of hours they’d like to work. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

“Ideally, we’d like a time commitment of three hours, but if you can just do it for one hour we’ll find something for you to do,” Bauer said. “We have one lady who has an interest in books so she just works on sorting and displaying the books. If you have a special interest in something, we can put you in that department.”

Huff said she first started volunteering because she believed in the cause and she liked the  flexible hours. Her husband came on board after he retired.

“I enjoy the camaraderie, and we’ve made a lot of friends here,” Huff said. “We’re a close-knit group. We have a lot of fun. You can pick your own hours and be as involved as you want to be.”

Bauer said the Church Mouse Thrift Shop has been around for at least three decades. The shop was located at the corner of Main and Sheridan for about 23 years before moving across the street to its current location in 2011.

“It’s an ideal location because we get a lot of walk-ins from people who don’t have transportation,” Resler said.

“This  location is bigger and brighter with better parking, and we can take more donations,” Kenny Lewis added. “The good this place does is just amazing. It affects so many people.”

All proceeds from the shop go to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and Lutheran Hillside Village. Last year the shop was able to give about $18,000 each to the two entities.

“Lutheran Hillside Village gives the LWGP a wish list of things they need for various departments, such as a certain kind of  blood pressure machine or therapy machine or something for the chapel. And LSSI will pick a program, such as the foster program or adoption preservation program, that might need help that year,” Bauer said.

Volunteer Eilynn Resler bags items for a customer at the Church Mouse Thrift Shop in Peoria. She is one of about 120 volunteers who help keep the nonprofit shop running smoothly. Resler said she enjoys working with the public and getting to know some of the shop’s regular customers. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

Items that don’t sell by the end of as season are boxed up and given to other local charitable organizations or sent overseas. “Some things we do have to take to the dumpster, but we hate to do that,” said Bauer, who also runs a food pantry at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bartonville. “We try to recycle everything we can if we can’t sell it.”

The thrift shop is currently in the process of switching over to spring and summer items and is holding a sale through the end of March in which customers can fill a basket for $5.

In addition to more volunteers, the thrift shop would welcome more donations, particularly furniture and housewares, Bauer said. Electronics, including televisions and computers, are not accepted.

Donations may be brought to the shop’s back door between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The store is closed Mondays to allow volunteers time to restock merchandise and prepare for the week. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

For more information about volunteering, call Shirley or Kenny Lewis or Joan Resler at 309- 673-2363.

—- Volunteers are driving force at Church Mouse Thrift Shop . —-