Donor provides free shopping at Thrift Haus ahead of Christmas

An anonymous donor recently made Christmas a little brighter for shoppers at the Soroptimist Thrift Haus.

The donor gave more than $2,000 to the nonprofit so it could hand out $25 shopping coupons to customers in the store on Saturday, Dec. 16, which was the last day the store was open prior to Christmas Day.

Bonnie Baker, president of the Soroptimist International of Whitefish, says it’s the first time she can recall a donor providing funds directly to shoppers.

“Many of them teared up when they realized what was happening,” she said of the shoppers' response. “We got hand-written notes and cards, and lots of thank yous.”

Soroptimist volunteers operate the thrift store to raise money for other organizations that focus on improving the lives of women and girls.

Baker said the anonymous donation made it possible to assist people during a hard time.

“It was a real surprise to us and it was great to help members of our community,” she said.

Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. The Whitefish club sponsors scholarships, runs the Smile of Hope Dental Program, and the Live Your Dream Awards to assist with the cost of tuition, books or transportation.

The Thrift Haus is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit https://soroptimistwhitefish.org/