Save & Serve unites with Young Life for a day

A steady flow of shoppers at Save & Serve Thrift Store purchased many items on Saturday, Jan. 6, and with each purchase came the added benefit of helping a local organization.

Every quarter of the year, Save & Serve Thrift Store dedicates every penny it makes on that day to a local nonprofit organization.

On Saturday, Jan. 6, Save & Serve teamed up with Young Life of Tuscarawas & Holmes County to aid in its current fundraising effort.

Young Life committee members and other volunteers served as cashiers, and the day proved to be profitable for a group that is dedicated to connecting with teens from West Holmes and Garaway high schools, committing to supporting the youth and developing strong faith-based relationships.

Young Life committed a quartet of volunteers — one team in the morning, another in the afternoon — and the busy day saw plenty of shoppers come through to support the cause.

Community Benefit Days are designed to spread the income Save & Serve receives locally. Much of what they bring in goes to Mennonite Central Committee, which in turn spreads the income globally to those in need. However, MCC granted S&S a chance to make an impact on the local level, and the store can choose with whom they want to team up with for the day.

This particular day belonged to Young Life.

“First, we love being involved with the local community,” Save & Serve Director Eric Raber said. “We enjoy the idea of making an impact for people here at home as well as globally, and we had heard really great things about what Young Life is doing through their work.”

Raber said they heard Young Life was in the midst of a fundraising campaign and wanted to help.

“We were blessed to be able to connect with one another and set the date,” Raber said.

Young Life volunteers came in the morning of the fundraiser and worked behind the counter as cashiers, helping people check out their purchases. Along the way, that also served as an opportunity to share with those shopping all of the things Young Life is doing in the community, so it wasn’t only a fundraiser, but also a chance to share their vision.

Raber said he was familiar with the organization prior to them coming in.

“I’ve heard them give presentations, and I am very impressed with the work they are doing with young teens,” Raber said.

Katrina Schneiter, a Young Life committee member, said the group is currently undergoing both a fundraiser and a push to draw in more staff to make an even bigger impact, especially with a great need in the West Holmes School District area.

She said Young Life was honored to be chosen as the recipient of Save & Serve’s gift of giving.

“We’re all about building leaders and making a positive impact through faith for our teens,” Schneiter said. “It’s an incredibly rewarding thing that takes effort to build relationships and show that we support these young people in every aspect of their lives. It’s important to just show them that people care about them.”

She said broadening the group’s footprint in each community is imperative, and days like this help generate some publicity about what they do.

Young Life staffers are committed to going to where the students are and connecting with them at their level, whether that is band or choir or the sports realm and other activities.

In the process the idea is to introduce Christ to students who perhaps haven’t had that opportunity or to help build faith in those who have already taken steps toward faith.

“We do this in a nonintrusive way so we don’t force anything on the kids,” Schneiter said. “Some accept it immediately; others take their time, but the goal is to simply plant the seeds of faith and let God do the work. Our goal is always to build relationships.”

She said YL staffers also let the students gain some insight on the importance of volunteering in the community and investing in others’ lives.

Schneiter encouraged anyone interested in helping Young Life make an impact to further explore them on the group’s Facebook page.