New Super Thrift Store helps those dealing with addictions

The Super Thrift Store opening on Saturday in downtown Brandon will support those in the community who are struggling with addiction.

On Wednesday, a flurry of activity was taking place at the new retail space at 127 Seventh St., which formerly housed The Brick furniture store.

Coming in at more than 12,000 square feet of retail space, it’s one of the city’s larger thrift stores, and has been fully stocked by items that have been donated to Adult & Teen Challenge Brandon during recent months.

Local director Kim Lowes said the effort’s ability to reach into the community has already made it a worthwhile endeavour. Although the organization established itself northwest of Brandon in 2008, and has operated as a women’s centre since 2012, she still comes across people who don’t know what they’re all about.

A national faith-based live-in addictions program, the local centre is women only and was expanded a couple of years ago to double in capacity to accommodate 16 students and four staff members.

Participants remain at the centre for at least a year, since Lowes said that addictions are not a problem that people can simply get over.

"The addiction is the surface," she said. "There’s stuff in their life that led to that, and that’s the stuff that we deal with."

Rebecca Doerksen is one of the dozen women currently participating in the program locally, and has been with them since February.

She hit "rock bottom" several months ago after successfully keeping her drinking problem hidden for years in Saskatoon. With everything falling apart, she realized that she needed help and was pointed to Adult & Teen Challenge as a potential resource to help her come out of her addiction.

In addition to addressing her addiction, she also confided in staff and fellow participants about an eating disorder she’d carried for the past decade, which she said helped set her free.

"Since that day, a weight has been lifted off of me and I’m just so much happier and I feel like I have so much joy, and my journey can just take off, now," she said. "There was a thing holding me back, but now I can go full-force ahead."

In addition to its proceeds supporting the program and women like Doerksen, the Super Thrift Store provides its participants with work experience.

Although Doerksen maintained a career in accounting prior to hitting rock bottom, some Adult & Teen Challenge participants don’t have any work experience. Lowes credits what they’re learning at the thrift store with setting them up for success once they’re ready to leave the program.

With the donations rolling in, Lowes said the shop is off to a positive start.

Clothes, books, artwork, children’s toys and various other household items fill the space.

While setting up the store, Lowes said that she commented that they had everything but the kitchen sink, and was immediately corrected, since they do, in fact, have a kitchen sink.

The Super Thrift Store is opening on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will remain open during these hours from Monday through Saturday from that point forward.

Staffed by Adult & Teen Challenge participants, Lowes said shoppers will "rub shoulders with the very people that your donation or your purchase is going to help," with all proceeds remaining local.

It’s a worthwhile program to support, Doerksen said, adding that it’s not hyperbolic to call the program "life-changing."

"In the time, just through learning more about myself and self-identity and building a relationship with God, and building my spiritual life has just brought me so much freedom," she said. "It is a life-changing program — it is changing my life in very big ways."

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB