In a landmark decision to expand one of its core ministries, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd has purchased the retail facility located at 1714 N. Ft. Harrison, in the nearby Greenwood neighborhood of northwest Clearwater, Fla, appropriately known as Sunshine Plaza.
“We were made up of only a few volunteers when we started. Now we have over 20 volunteers, employ four individuals from the local community and will soon welcome a store manager in the month ahead,” according to Gus Robbins-Penniman, the store’s founder and ministry leader. “Our team picks up donations of furniture and other household items throughout Pinellas County for free and resells them at the shop for modest prices. But more than reselling furniture, we provide hope and a sense of community to a neighborhood that is hungry for both. One of the intangibles provided by this ministry is conversation and compassion. There’s not a day that goes by when someone from the local neighborhood doesn’t stop in just to say hello to a welcoming and supportive group of new friends.”Continue reading→