The LaBelle Kiwanis Thrift Store prides themselves on giving back. All of the proceeds collected from the sales at the local thrift shop go right back into the community through support of schools, the library, sponsored youth programs and the scholarship fund set up for graduating seniors.

Margaret England (left) and Justin Roadcap with the new donation drop box at the LaBelle Kiwanis Thrift Store. (Caloosa Belle/Val White)

The thrift store itself is an extension of the efforts of the Kiwanis Club which has a rich history of altruism. The shop is manned by three full time and two part time staff and the remaining efforts are provided by local volunteers and individuals giving community service hours, all of whom take a lot of pride in the service they provide to our town.

I recently met with a few of these service oriented people at the Kiwanis thrift store including the 2017-2018 President of LaBelle Kiwanis, Sue Williams (who has been a long time member of the Kiwanis), Margaret England who is the Chair of the Thrift Store committee, and Justin Roadcap who has been working as manager of the thrift store since February of this year, and they told me all of the improvements they’ve been implementing and even more in store for the upcoming year.

If you’ve been in LaBelle for any length of time you’re surely familiar with the hole in the wall (literally) that was the donation drop off location for after hour drop offs at the thrift store. They have recently replaced the hole in the wall with a new drop box which will tremendously help to protect the donations left after hours.

The Kiwanis Thrift Store is so very appreciative of the generosity of the people in the community for all the donations they have given and they would love to extend the invitation to give back to everyone looking to donate any items that they have outgrown.

If you would like to donate any items to the LaBelle Kiwanis Thrift Store the best way to do so is to follow these guidelines:

Any clothing or smaller items left after hours should be in bags and deposited in the new drop box directly in front of the building.

Any larger items should be dropped off at least one hour before closing during regular business hours.

If you need any assistance donating larger items the Kiwanis Thrift Store does have totes available to assist you.

All larger items should also be dropped off at the rear door and not left in the front of the building by the new drop box.

The thrift shop does not have anyone on staff who can fix broken televisions or electronics and they also do not have the ability to reupholster any torn furniture items, so please be mindful of the types of items you drop off.

There has been a problem in the past with items donated which were not re-sellable and the organization had to pay to have those donations disposed of. When they have to pay to remove unsellable items it diminishes the capability to serve in the capacity to which they strive, so please keep that in mind when making your donations!

Also please remember that any items left after hours are property of the LaBelle Kiwanis Thrift Store and removing any items from the premises is considered stealing and punishable by law.

If you have any items that you are not using anymore and would like to pass them on to someone who may need them or if you would like to volunteer with the Kiwanis organization please make your way to the LaBelle Kiwanis Thrift Store during office hours Mon 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. -2 p.m.

Kiwanis Thrift Store is located at 155 South Bridge Street in LaBelle and can be reached by phone at (863) 675-4043 or email: labellekiwanis@yahoo.com.