New 2 You

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!

It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers, Jan Lenz!

Jan has been volunteering at New 2 You for the past 2 years, and manages the store’s school supplies section. In her role, Jan organizes and prices paper, pens, pencils, organizers, binders and more. Our popular school supplies section contains everything your kids need for class all throughout the year — not just in the fall. We appreciate all that Jan does, and look forward to working with her for years to come. Stop in today for all of your school supplies!

It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers, Mary VandenBerge!

Mary volunteers at New 2 You three days per week, and manages the store’s jewelry section. In her role, Mary organizes, cleans, repairs and prices earrings, necklaces, bracelets\ and more. She works alongside fellow volunteer Annette Oosten, who specializes in jewelry repair and polishing sterling silver. Our vast jewelry selection ranges from party pieces to one-of-a-kind items and vintage. We appreciate all that Mary and Annette do, and look forward to working with them for years to come. Stop in today to add some glitz and glamor to your life!