Noah's Ark floats new system
By Laura Ruby
Over the last four years, Noah's Ark near Bealeton has given away clothes, furniture, and household goods to needy people in the area by the truckload. A simple application process allowed shoppers to take home what they needed, free of charge and with few questions asked.
With little screening, the store, operated as part of Community Touch, a non-profit charity organization, gave donated items to anyone who claimed to need them. The problem, explains Community Touch Executive Director Tyronne Champion, was that some people were taking advantage of the situation and reselling items for personal gain.
In response to growing concern about that problem, and as a way to generate a new stream of income for the non-profit, Champion and the group's board of directors came up with a new program.
By creating a voucher system for those in need, along with a donation-based sale system, Noah's Ark hopes to continue to provide essential items to area families while bringing in additional revenue through sales, Champion explained.
Champion said that he has fielded calls from consignment shops and community residents who spotted items donated to Noah's Ark for sale at yard sales or otherwise abandoned. Some people, he said, returned repeatedly to the store to get more items.
“They were abusing the system,” Champion said, noting that one group of men came in pickup trucks, on more than one occasion, to load up with free furniture and other items. “The ones that were abusing the system, we have not seem them since we starting using vouchers. They were taking it and selling the items.
“We’re so connected in the community. Landlords would call us and say, ‘you gave x, y, or z this and now it’s sitting out by the road, do you want to come and get it?” Champion said. “People were not being fair. We mean well, but this was necessary.”
Implemented Sept. 6, the voucher system requires that recipients of free items first visit a participating community non-profit organization and go through its screening process. Participating agencies include the Fauquier County Department of Social Services, the Salvation Army, Fauquier Community Action, Vint Hill Transitional Housing, Fauquier Family Shelter, Piedmont United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Hand of God Ministries, St. Vincent de Paul, Fauquier County Food Distribution, and People Helping People.
Working closely with Noah's Ark through the transition to vouchers, these organizations determine the needs of individuals and families and provide them with a voucher that is redeemable for items at Noah's Ark, Champion said.
“With the voucher system, we can weed out the those abusing the system. This way, we know they’ve already been screened,” he said, noting that Noah's Ark has distributed more than 300 vouchers to community organizations in just over a month.
Tom Benjamin, executive director of Fauquier Community Action, and Ed Childress, executive director of Fauquier Family Shelter Services, praised the work of Noah's Ark and concurred with Champion's assessment that the voucher system was necessary.
“The point is not to give something away so that somebody can then take it and sell if for profit and, unfortunately, that's what was happening,” said Childress, noting that he has heard of no problems with his agency's clients receiving what they need from the Ark.
Benjamin agreed, adding that the new program provides reassurance not only to Noah's Ark, but to people who donate to the non-profit, as well.
“The way it works for us at FCAC is when an individual asks for assistance for furniture or clothing we review the need, and if the need is genuine, we will then give them a voucher that would allow them to pick up the furniture or clothing they need without having to pay for it,” explained Benjamin. “If the individual is able to pay for the items they need, we refer them to the thrift store and the funds that are paid are used to continue the community programs that Community Touch does. Even though this may seem to be an additional level of bureaucracy, it provides a level of assurance to the donors that those in need are receiving the assistance.”
In implementing a donation-based sales system, the store is also developing a new clientèle and more revenue. Champion said that some people who come to Noah's Ark can afford to purchase items, and, in the past, have asked to do so as a way of contributing to Community Touch.
Noah's Ark volunteers divide donated items, which include brand-new clothing and furniture as well as gently used items like washing machines and clothes dryers, dishes, and electronics, offering some for free through the voucher system and others for sale for a given donation range. Prices range widely with the donation system. For instance, white dots indicate a donation suggestion of between $3-$6 while black dots, at the other end of the spectrum, suggest a donation of between $425 and $500.
“We’re now set up to address needs and wants because if they have some money, they can give a donation to get that want,” he said, pointing to a donated ping-pong table and a set of formal flatware as examples of the stores' supply of wants. “On one hand, we’re helping the poor, but we’re also helping families who can make a donation.”
Money donated to the thrift store “is going right back into helping families and helping the community,”said Felecia Champion, program director at Community Touch. Mrs. Champion added that a portion of the proceeds go to increased operational expenses at the store, which has also extended its hours to serve more people. The store is operated mainly by volunteers, but does have one paid staffer, Champion said. Champion estimated that Noah's Ark has taken in about $3,000 in donations since early September.
Previously, the Ark was open only on Saturdays. Now, it’s open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Being open more days allows for a more even traffic flow throughout the week, Champion said, noting that Saturdays used to be overwhelmingly busy. Now, it’s calmer on Saturdays and throughout the week, giving families an opportunity to shop in a more orderly way, he said.
Doug Boston, a board member who volunteers many Saturdays at Noah’s Ark, said that those days were hectic, with people staking out the items they wanted and waiting to be served.
“We’re busier now on weekdays than we are on the weekend. We used to help 30 families on a weekend, now we do that and probably a little more [throughout the week]. We’re not like J.C. Penney or some fancy store, but we do get some great stuff,” said Champion, noting that volunteers have designed the store to offer a pleasant shopping experience for customers.
While furniture and household items occupy the first floor of the Ark, which is shaped like its Biblical namesake, the second floor offers a clothing section for men, women, and children. Linens and shoes are also sold there. Clothes sell for $5 a bag, shoes are $2 a pair and comforters are $10.
Recently, volunteers from Fauquier Hospital spent time at Noah’s Ark, replacing warm-weather clothing with fall and winter selections.
While some of the policies of Noah's Ark have changed, Champion emphasized that its mission to help the community's less fortunate has remained the same.
“There is a larger story and sometimes people don’t see that,” said Champion, explaining that area non-profit groups work closely together, supporting one another in a joint effort to help the community.
As an example, Mrs. Champion recalled that recently Boston donated a set of luggage to Community Touch's Victory Transitional Housing program. That same day, she said, the house received a call from The Haven, an emergency homeless shelter in Warrenton. A woman was moving out and had only plastic bags to carry her belongings. She wasn’t allowed to board the bus with bags and the staff was frantically trying to find luggage for her. The two organizations were able to get the luggage to the woman, who was able to move out of the shelter and on with her life.
For more information on Community Touch or Noah's Ark, call (540) 439-9760 or (540) 439-9300. The Ark is in need of furniture donations and volunteers, but is currently well stocked in its clothing department.