The Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary Thrift Store
Our Thrift Shop is located at 5693 Cowrie Street in Sechelt.
The Thrift Store is open for shopping Tuesday through Saturday 10-3. Donations can be dropped at the store Monday through Sunday 9-3 unless we have a sign out saying we are full. Check ahead of time to avoid disappointment – 604-885-4686
DONATIONS:
Donations will be accepted only at the back doors during the times listed above. We ask that you DO NOT leave items after 3:00 pm and before 9:00 am as they will likely be stolen.
You provide us with beautiful and amazing items to resell. To help us we request that you:
- Bring only clean, freshly laundered saleable clothing and clean saleable household items.
- We have limited storage space for donations. Sometimes we need to ask you to limit your donations.
SHOPPING:
The health and safety of our volunteers and customers is most important to us. We have new policies and procedures in place to comply with BC Public Health Orders:
- Sanitize your hands before entering.
Our community donates goods to the shop generously and faithfully.
- As a result our task of sorting and pricing is never ending.
- It takes many hands to keep on top of the work.
- As much as possible we recycle items that we can’t use.
Items Accepted at Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary Thrift Shop:
- Clean, stain-free clothing and footwear.
- Clean household items, no rust or burn marks on frying pans, toasters, etc.
- Paperback in good condition.
- Clean and working small hand-held appliances and electronics.
- Good condition home decor and seasonal items.
- Clean, complete games and toys.
- Good condition pet products.
- Good condition DVDs and music CDs.
- Craft and knitting supplies.
- Pictures and lamps.
- Curtains, bedding, towels, etc.
- Jewellery, collectibles and antiques.
- Luggage and golf bags.
Items Not Accepted at Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary Thrift Shop:
- Sharp knives.
- Children’s equipment such as cribs, highchairs, strollers, baby car seats, bike helmets.
- Furniture of any kind.
- Encyclopedias, text books, hardcover books and magazines.
- We request you take Medical Items to the Loan Cupboard at the Hospital.
If in doubt, feel free to call us during working hours to clarify acceptability of items 604-885-4686.
We so appreciate your support!
Please do not dump furniture as we have to pay for it to be taken away!
A Brief History of the Thrift Store
The St. Mary’s Hospital Society opened the Thrift Store building in September 1981. The Society and its board of directors had responsibility for the operation of the hospital. It also received bequests and donations and invested the money.
The St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary operated a Thrift Store out of an old house on the site of the present Store. The house and property had been donated to the Society from an estate. The Society commissioned a local architect and a builder to design and build a new structure which would house a thrift store and a commercial enterprise. The house was torn down and a new building erected.
The Thrift Store space was sufficient for the auxiliary for many years. In the early 90’s, when the commercial tenant’s lease ran out, the Thrift Store was expanded to its present configuration.
In the mid-90’s the government of the day created Health Authorities and disbanded Hospital Societies. The St. Mary’s Hospital Society Board then formed a Hospital Foundation and transferred the society’s assets to the foundation. This included the Thrift Store building. The foundation then became the Thrift Store’s landlord. In 2015 the St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary changed their name to Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary to better reflect their commitment to health care throughout the whole coast and is one of only a few auxiliaries independent of a foundation in the province.
The Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary are proud to be a partner with the Hospital Foundation in providing money for the betterment of the hospital and health care in the community.
