Safe Harbor will celebrate the grand opening of its Thrift Store on Thursday, Oct. 19. The grand opening is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with door prizes including tickets to the Bellamy Brothers or Oak Ridge Boys.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the third Thursday is national “Purple Thursday” day where people are encouraged to wear purple, the color of bravery and peace, to show solidarity with those who have experienced domestic violence and to let them know that help is available.
“We chose Thursday for our Grand Opening because Oct. 19 is Purple Thursday, so the timing was perfect,” said Safe Harbor Director DeAnne Rader. “We are offering a 10% discount to anyone who comes to the grand opening wearing purple.”
The event will also offer free popcorn, cotton candy, apple cider and more, as well as door prize drawings to the shows in Branson.
“This will be a big day for us because having a non-profit thrift store will hopefully get us closer to our goal of opening a shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault,” she added.
Every penny of the money made at the Safe Harbor Thrift Store will go toward the Shelter Fund, which aims to provide a place for victims of domestic violence to go when seeking help in an abusive situation.
“The need in the Ozarks is greater than ever with one major nearby shelter deciding to reduce it's capacity to 50%, and another shelter closing completely just in the last couple of weeks. Last weekend our after-hours hotline phone received 7 calls for shelter in one day,” Rader explained. “Sadly, we had to turn them all away, since the limited spaces in our shelter homes were full.”
The thrift store also provides direct assistance to Safe Harbor clients, as they can shop there for free while trying to rebuild the foundations of their lives.
“Many domestic violence victims flee their homes with only the clothes they are wearing, so we try to help them rebuild a wardrobe,” said Rader. “We also help when they are ready to move out and establish their own home, so the furniture and household goods in the thrift store will be great to offer them.”
The thrift store is located at 202 S. Crittenden Street in Marshfield, the former location of the Retro Zone just down the street from the Safe Harbor office, where they’ll continue to serve clients in a confidential setting.
The Safe Harbor Thrift Store will be open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday through Fridays and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, the thrift store can be reached directly at 417-319-2970.
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