For Wendy Jones and Kelly Shannon, volunteering at Fronya Thrift Boutique on First Avenue is about giving back.
The women’s clothing thrift store in Mission is owned by SARA For Women and all proceeds support the non-profit’s programs.
“I like what it stands for. It’s geared towards the women who are leaving and trying to get a better start. I’m all for women. I just love volunteering here. I like the people — I like hanging out and sharing my knowledge of the clothes,” Jones said.
Shannon and Jones have been volunteering with SARA For Women for approximately six months and both women have used the non-profit’s services before.
“I needed to escape and get to a program that helped me and they were there – it’s giving back,” Jones said.
Jones said SARA was there when she needed them the most. She’s known a lot of women who have used their services before, including Shannon, her fellow volunteer.
“I’m here because I had reason to use their services years ago, and without it, I would have been in big trouble. So it’s my way of giving back,” Shannon said.
Fronya runs almost exclusively because of volunteer support, SARA executive director Michelle Puffer said. The store has one employee, 12 volunteers, and will introduce a program training women who use SARA’s programs in retail service.
“Without the volunteers, we couldn’t do it because it does not bring in the income to support staffing at any level higher than what we have,” Puffer said. “The volunteers really help us make sure that we can run efficiently and effectively and they like to give back.”
The store held a grand re-opening on Tuesday (April 9) after repurposing and reconfiguring the downtown building to provide more openness and light.
“We cleaned it up and refreshed it a little bit to make it easier to access all of the items and also so that it was really clear who the program was funding,” Puffer said.
Fronya shut down for a couple of weeks to redo the floor and walls. According to Jones, the re-opening wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of store manager Joy Tirrell.
“Her dedication to the work she has done is tremendous,” Jones said.
Puffer says the store has just started generating funds in the past year.
“It’s not a lot, but it’s enough that we can give back and put into the programs that have a higher need,” she said.
Mission Chamber of Commerce executive director Miriam Bozman said the re-opening is particularly exciting because Fronya is more than just a business.
“I’ve spent time with the staff and they’re just wonderful. They will take the time to talk to clients to find out where they’re at in life and what they need. There’s some unofficial counselling that happens – it’s really so much more than a store,” Bozman said.
Jones urges others to volunteer as well or help in any way they can.
“If more people could volunteer just an hour of their time, it’s very fulfilling,” Jones said.
Jones has been a part of the Mission community for years and volunteers for other community organizations too .
She spends time volunteering with People Powered, Community Strong at the Diamond Head in Mission, as well as an organization for injured motorcycle riders. Jones often finds herself volunteering seven days a week.
“There’s not enough time for people to volunteer as much as they want. I sometimes get involved too much,” Jones said.
“It’s rewarding enough for me in my life at my age and I’ll volunteer until I’m done.”
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