New 2 You

Elizabeth is one of our adored volunteers that has been coming in for over 15 years. She volunteers twice each week and is considered our “Jack of all trades” because of her willingness and flexibility to do any task that fits our unique needs of the day. Once those tasks are completed, she enjoys folding the linens and organizing our merchandise to keep the shelves looking orderly and nicely displayed. She can also be frequently found writing all types of cards for our volunteers. Elizabeth loves these opportunities to serve the New 2 You community that she cherishes. 

When asked why a person should shop and donate at New 2 You, Elizabeth responded with the importance of supporting the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. We’re so thankful to be able to contribute to such an important cause. Additionally, she commented, “people love thrift stores no matter what.” This is certainly true, and one aspect that Elizabeth believes sets New 2 You apart from other thrift stores is her Aunt Karen, our general manager. Elizabeth is so proud of her dedication and leadership and is always excited to work with her.

One of Elizabeth’s favorite parts about coming to the store is being able to see her volunteer friends, have coffee with them during breaks, and interact with customers while on the floor. As someone with Down syndrome, she’s very thankful for the inclusive community that can be felt every day. Elizabeth loves people, and she loves the New 2 You community.

We’re so grateful for Elizabeth’s heart of service for both our customers and our volunteers. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Meet Ruth! Ruth is one of our beloved volunteers who has been serving since 2004. She consistently manages volunteers, oversees the clothing operations, sorts and prices incoming housewares, and heads our Vintage and Collectibles department. Ruth grew up in Germany, moved to the United States after she graduated high school, and worked as a Human Resources manager for three different German companies.

Ruth was one of our first New 2 You volunteers and was working even before our doors opened. She never considered herself a thrift shopper, but she was excited about the opportunity to serve the Grand Rapids Christian Schools with her management experience when the opportunity to volunteer arose. At that time almost 20 years ago, Ruth knew almost nothing about vintage items and how to determine their value. However, years of searching the web and watching Antiques Roadshow have proven very helpful. She now loves working in the department and prioritizes honoring donations by selling them at a fair price. “It’s always a puzzle trying to figure out the value,” she commented. She thrives with the challenge and research that the Vintage and Collectibles department requires as the value of vintage items fluctuate while consumer interests change.  

When asked why a person should donate and shop at New 2 You, she responded by emphasizing the value of supporting local families. While many thrift shops have become chains, New 2 You is locally connected to the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. The donations and revenue stay in Grand Rapids. When asked what donations her department and customers get most excited about, vintage furniture and lamps were at the top of her list. Dishes, such as vintage Fiestaware, are also very appreciated, but she noted that these can often be hit-or-miss depending on if they’re able to go in the dishwasher.

Ruth is constantly inspired by the family-like community at New 2 You, and the people are the main reason why she loves to volunteer. “The community, the fellowship, and the friendship are ultimately the reward.” In addition to loving the community, she sees each volunteer and their support to be invaluable for the store. Their dedication does not go unnoticed by Ruth. “It’s a very unique place,” she said as she reflected on the many friendships she’s made over her years volunteering.

We’re so thankful for Ruth, her leadership, her love for volunteers, and the quality work that she brings into everything that she does!

Meet Laura! Laura is our donation supervisor at New 2 You, working almost every afternoon. She’s been a valuable member of our community since 2010 when she began by volunteering and was later asked to step into the donations supervisor role. In the mornings, Laura works at the Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School Iroquois Campus as an academic interventionist. She loves the contrast in working with children in the morning and then coming to New 2 You in the afternoon, where she can serve these children and their families by raising money to help pay for their tuition at the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. 

Laura’s role is to greet everyone who brings in donations, sort housewares as they come in, price items, and keep the donations center moving at a quick pace. Her organization and efficiency are crucial in our operations. Laura is usually the first person to work with donations as they come in before they’re sent off to the different departments to be sorted and priced. Because bringing donations from the donations door to the selling floor is a team effort, she finds joy in organizing the products so that the jobs of the volunteers in each department are a little bit easier. 

As we are so thankful for Laura’s leadership and talents, she is also deeply thankful for the community at New 2 You. She loves the variety of conversations she has with the other volunteers and staff and enjoys watching them build their own community. When a new volunteer comes into work, she’s always surprised to see how quickly they find a home at New 2 You.

When asked why a person should donate to our store, Laura responded that doing so helps to preserve God’s world, we value your donations, and our profits go directly to GRC families to support Christian education. There are many great reasons to donate! Donations we’re in special need of include toys, books, puzzles, clean linens (we appreciate notes with sizes), clean and undamaged cookware and dishes, vintage items, and up-to-date housewares. Even seasonal items are great donations! We store seasonal goods until the holiday at our storage site. 

Laura finds inspiration from Ephesians 6:7, which states, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” We are so thankful for the work that Laura and all of our other volunteers and staff are doing to serve God and his Kingdom. 

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”

– Ephesians 6:7

It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers: Phyllis Zaagman! Phyllis has been volunteering at New 2 You since 2004, and comes in 6 days per week to manage the book section, in addition to working in children’s clothing. We appreciate all that Phyllis does, and look forward to working with her for years to come. Stop in soon for books in fantastic condition!

It’s time again to meet some of our wonderful volunteers: Chuck Ippel, Jeff Peterson, John Boerman and Jerry VanVeen! This dedicated crew has been working as a team for the past 5 years, and volunteers at the store each week to coordinate furniture pickups and deliveries. We appreciate all that they do, and look forward to working with Chuck, Jeff, John and Jerry for years to come. Stop in soon for new and used furniture in fantastic condition

It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers, Sal Verstraete!

Sal has been volunteering at New 2 You for the past 15 years, and manages the store’s linens section. In her role, Sal organizes and folds a wide variety of linens, including sheets and pillows, and those pesky fitted sheets!

We appreciate all that Sal does, and look forward to working with her for years to come. Stop in soon for linens in fantastic condition.It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers, Mary VandenBerge!