Ministry center thrift shop open for the community

Salem-Troy Baptist Association Ministry Center is a thrift shop, home to a multitude of items available for the public to enjoy. The Ministry Center is located on Highway 231, halfway between Troy and Brundige, Alabama.

The thrift shop offers items including clothes, shoes, glassware, books, home decor, kids' toys, sports items, a food pantry and so much more. The thrift shop first opened in 2020, but unfortunately shutdown due to covid, opening again in 2021.

“We are a ministry, and I love it,” said Rhonda Turberville, volunteer coordinator. “It’s a blessing to be able to come here, give up our time and provide what we can.”

All the money collected from purchases goes back into the community for disaster relief, local mission work and churches.

The thrift shop began as a vision from Director of Missions Averyt Walker who had the aspiration years ago to begin this shop to help those in the community.

On the other hand, the food pantry has been available to the public for the past 15 years.

“The food pantry has been a real blessing,” Turberville said. “It's good to be able to help people who are truly in need, and it's a lot of fun to meet people and help people pick out stuff.

“I think there’s a lot of people who have fallen on hard times. If we can all pull together and help as a community, we should because that’s what God wants us to do.”

All items at the thrift shop and food pantry are items that have been donated by church members around the community. The food pantry collects nonperishable food items only.

The shop is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is staffed by volunteers from the church community. All items are either sold at marked down prices or given away for free to those in need.

One popular sale offered as their January Special is buying four books for a dollar. Last week, the ministry also offered filling a bag with all you can fit Christmas decorations for $5. Buy one get one deals are also offered at the ministry center.

Turberville expressed her aspirations for the shop and what she hoped to see in the future.

“I think our biggest hurdle right now is getting the word out to people who don’t know we’re here,” she said. “It is still a work in progress, and we hope to grow, open more days a week and have more volunteers and customers.”

If anyone would like to help out and donate more items to the ministry shop, donations are accepted Monday through Thursday.