The Golden Pantry & Thrift started in 1965 as a thrift shop on Washington Avenue—a place for Golden families to find gently used, reasonably priced clothing.
In December of 1985, the volunteers who staffed the thrift store worked with the VFW on a holiday food drive—turkey dinners and all the trimmings for local families in need. When all the food had been delivered, the volunteers realized that those same families would be equally in need the following week, with no holiday baskets forthcoming.
“In families with five, seven and even nine kids, that turkey isn’t going to last very long.”
They set an ambitious goal: they would provide food for 15 Golden families for six months. They spread the word through the community that they were doing this and were amazed by the response—crates of food and cash donations began appearing in the thrift shop.
The shop was tiny, the plumbing was bad, and the roof leaked. Accordingly, the board members were storing the food in their houses.
“Right now, I’ve got food stocked in the entryway. Everyone trips over potatoes, flour and sacks when they come into my house. Other...members have food stocked in their basements.”
The Golden Pantry and Thrift has come a long way since then. In 1998, Barbara Foss funded a building at 14th and Ford Streets, so they would have a permanent home. The west end of the building holds the thrift shop and the east end is the food pantry.
- In 1985, the organization was stretching themselves to provide food for 15 families.
- By 2022, they were serving 150 families every month.
- Last month, they provided food to 350 Golden families.
Most of the food is donated and the rest is purchased using donated funds and proceeds from the thrift shop.
The thrift shop is still doing a brisk business, providing a great place for budget conscious Golden families to buy gently used clothing and housewares at thrift shop prices.
They are celebrating their 60th anniversary today. Stop by and say hi (and congratulations!).
Location:
Golden Pantry & Thrift
1401 Ford Street (Map)
