By Alicia Kelso

Most mornings before His Thrift, 3 Westerville Sq., opens for business, there are several boxes sitting on the sidewalk outside of the store full of charitable donations, from jeans and sweaters to books and pans.

The contributions are seemingly never-ending and have been ongoing since Westerville resident Marrie Saas began the mostly non-profit business four years ago.

Saas stumbled upon this effort accidentally after several smaller-scale garage sales generated overwhelming responses. She decided on a whim to hold the sales and donate any money raised toward Birthright International, an organization that provides support to girls and women who are distressed by an unplanned pregnancy.

The success compelled Saas to hold the sales more frequently, but she was quickly outgrowing any garage or yard venues. A friend who rented the storefront at Westerville Square was no longer using the location and suggested Saas take over the lease.

“I took it over after asking the owner if I could go month to month and I am still here. I believe that’s the only major business decision I’ve made with all of this,” Saas says. “The rest of it has just really fallen into place.”

She attributes the smooth transition to her strong faith, which also drives her objective of helping the poor. His Thrift isn’t an average thrift shop. Donations pour in and are meticulously sorted by Saas and a handful of volunteers. The donations are washed and fixed if need be (zippers, buttons, etc.), then boxed and shipped to one of several charity organizations throughout the Columbus area.

The groups she donates to most frequently include Faith Missions, which puts people in their first homes after they’ve been out on the streets; St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization offering service to the needy; Joint Organization for Inner City Needs (JOIN), which provides items such as blankets and shoes to people living on the streets; the United Methodist Free Store; Common Ground Free Store Ministries in Delaware; and Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM). She also continues to donate all baby and infant clothes to Birthright.

Saas has done the work long enough to know what each organization needs, and she consequently spends most of her time outside of store hours – how much time a week exactly she “can’t begin to estimate” – sorting, washing and boxing donations. For example, Faith Missions recipients need home items such as pots, pans, sheets and lamps, whereas other organizations prefer just clothes. She guesses His Thrift ships anywhere from 15 to 30 boxes downtown each week.

Saas still must pay the rent and keeps about 10 percent of what she makes from in-store sales, which go toward overhead costs – electricity, phone, gas, etc. – and an annual underwear budget which she donates with the rest of the contributions. All of her actual work is volunteered.

“I’m not doing this for the money. I’m doing this because it is working. It is helping folks,” Saas says. “That is what my faith tells me to do and if it works, it works. If not, then it’s just not in the cards for me anymore. But with the volunteers I have and the response I’ve had, I’m convinced God is on my side with this.”

She adds that not only do people show their support by donating and purchasing items in the store, but also by stopping by to chat or ask if they can help with anything. Volunteers have done everything from hanging shelves in the store to washing clothes and delivering boxes.

“People come in to talk and I know they just need that interaction. Even if we’re so busy, that’s part of the reason we’re here, for them to have someone to talk to. It’s a real ministry,” Saas says.

Saas admits her home is filled with donations, her washer and dryer have been through the wringer and she can’t help but come in on her days off. She spends what little free time she has volunteering at her church – St. Paul Catholic Church in Westerville – and being with her six grandchildren (Saas has four sons, ages 33 through 42).

At age 65, she has no idea how long she’ll continue with His Thrift, but she doesn’t have time to worry about that right now.

“This is always there. When I come to the store, there are boxes. When I go home, there are clothes to sort. I wouldn’t mind being retired and cleaning out my house, but people need this stuff and I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to help them as much as I can,” Saas says. “As long as I’m healthy and it’s working, I think I’ll be doing this.”

For more information about His Thrift, email histhrift@columbus.rr.com or call 614-882-6040.

Alicia Kelso is editor of Westerville Magazine.