SANFORD - The PTO Thrift Store has been a staple in the downtown community since 1994. The volunteer led program continues to provide needed support for local public schools through the profits of the store’s success.
This year, the PTO Thrift Store was able to make a $99,900 donation to the eight qualifying schools in the district. Schools qualify individually by having volunteers serve a total of at least 150 combined hours during the course of the year.
Four elementary schools - Broadway, Deep River, Tramway, and W.B. Wicker - qualified for this year’s donation. Lee County and Southern Lee High School both qualified while SanLee Middle and Floyd L. Knight Center also exceeded the minimum volunteer hours for the year.
“It truly is a grassroots effort that makes the store successful and gives our schools a little extra support,” said Ashley Melpolder, who serves as the president of the PTO Thrift Store Board and a teacher at Floyd L. Knight. “We are so thankful to the store staff for what they do to make our volunteer program successful and give us the opportunity to make a big impact on our local school campuses.”
The store, open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. is located at 303 South Steele Street and accepts donations of new or gently used items. Schools that have volunteers who serve a combined 150 hours at the store qualify for the annual distribution of store profits.
Some 60% percent of the total donation is split equally among the qualified schools, which this year amounted to $7,492.52 for each of the eight schools. The remaining 40% of proceeds is divided based on the number of volunteer hours served above and beyond the 150 minimum by each qualifying school. This year volunteers donated a total of 1803 hours of service to the store.
“We believe in our public schools,” said Melpolder. “The parents and community members who come out and volunteer their time, the Board members, the store workers, we believe that it is important to invest in the next generation through public education. This year’s $99,900 total gift will make a direct impact on the students in our community, and that is something we can all be proud of.”