Second Chance Passes $4 Million Mark

LG Thrift Store Passes Amazing Donation Total Amidst New Annual Record

Brit Russell paid only a few bucks for the inline skates she found on a shelf at Second Chance Emporium in La Grange last week. But a few dollars here, a few more there and pretty soon you are talking about real money.

How much? This month Second Chance, a non—profit thrift store, crossed the $4 million mark in grants and scholarships given to area non-profits and local students since 1996.

And Second Chance also set a yearly record for donations: $440,802.95 through October.

Second Chance Emporium is located at the end of South Reynolds St. in La Grange. It is operated by a group of local churches and a dedicated staff.

The shop depends on donations. People bring stuff they no longer need, such as a pair of roller skates. Buyers like Brit and her daughter, Renzi, drive in from Burton (or Hallettsville, Bastrop, Houston, even Nebraska) on Fridays and Saturdays to find a bargain. Any “profits” left over are plowed back into community service groups and scholarships.

Second Chance creates a virtuous circle. People can clean out their closets or garages, taking the goodies to Second Chance. Shoppers on Fridays and Saturdays can find good deals on skates, clothes, kitchen utensils, Christmas ornaments, furniture and more. That money then goes to feed people, fund fire departments or take care of stray dogs and cats.

In October alone, Second Chance gave $10,000 to the AMEN food pantry, $10,000 to help rebuild the Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Hostyn, which was destroyed in a fire, $12,500 to improve the ball field in Fayetteville and $3,500 to a new group, BRIDGE, to fund a faith and mental health awareness meeting for women.

And those were just a few of the nearly $100,000 in grants awarded in October.

“I came in looking for a cowboy hat,” Russell explained. “But we love to skate. My boys have skates and Renzi has her skates. But Mommy doesn’t!”

Well, she does now. And Second Chance takes aim at the next milestone: $5 million in benefits for Fayette County.