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Don’t throw good things in the garbage, give them to somebody else, says Gloria Frechen, Seventh Day Adventist (S.D.A.) Church, Beach Lake.
On March 6, the church is opening a second, free clothing and more site in the church basement. They’re located across from P & L Transmissions on Route 652, Beach Lake. They plan to be open the first Thursday of every month, offering blankets, clothing, baby items, knick-knacks, kitchen items and more. And it’s all for whatever donation you can afford or free. “There’s no price on anything,” Frechen said. They even have donated furniture from time to time. “She doesn’t just help here. People can call her and say, ‘Gloria, I need a bed. I need a sofa, can you help me out?’ What doesn’t fit here, she stores near her home, in her barn, in her sheds, in her house, so that she has it when she needs it,” says volunteer helper Barbara Donatelli.
No Price Tag
“You get a lot of good feeling when you help somebody,” Frechen said. Frechen remembers a little girl, all of five or six, coming up to the counter with a warm hat and mittens. “How much is this going to cost me,” she wondered. “She could hardly believe it when she found out she didn’t have to pay anything for them,” Frechen said.
Some adults, too, wonder how they’ll be able to pay for everything. A woman shopping in the store was carefully picking out a few work shirts when Frechen tracked down a beautiful blouse to show her. Though she instantly fell in love with it, she worried about its cost. Frechen told her it wouldn’t cost her anything. “I get so many hugs and kisses and so many nice things said,” the 79-year-old says. “I just feel so good. It’s a thrill.”
People lately have been looking for blankets to combat the cold. Frechen says they’d given out their last one when a woman returned and dropped off another load. “Was I happy when the lady came ...God is good. He knows what we need.. And I ask Him all the time, ‘Please help me to have the things that people need.’ Oh, He’s so good. And I thank Him for letting me have a part in this,” she says.
Frances of Greeley, who declined to give her last name, says she shops for her grandson. She comes every couple of weeks, she said, happy to leave with new things for him.
Don’t throw good things in the garbage, give them to somebody else, says Gloria Frechen, Seventh Day Adventist (S.D.A.) Church, Beach Lake.
On March 6, the church is opening a second, free clothing and more site in the church basement. They’re located across from P & L Transmissions on Route 652, Beach Lake. They plan to be open the first Thursday of every month, offering blankets, clothing, baby items, knick-knacks, kitchen items and more. And it’s all for whatever donation you can afford or free. “There’s no price on anything,” Frechen said. They even have donated furniture from time to time. “She doesn’t just help here. People can call her and say, ‘Gloria, I need a bed. I need a sofa, can you help me out?’ What doesn’t fit here, she stores near her home, in her barn, in her sheds, in her house, so that she has it when she needs it,” says volunteer helper Barbara Donatelli.
No Price Tag
“You get a lot of good feeling when you help somebody,” Frechen said. Frechen remembers a little girl, all of five or six, coming up to the counter with a warm hat and mittens. “How much is this going to cost me,” she wondered. “She could hardly believe it when she found out she didn’t have to pay anything for them,” Frechen said.
Some adults, too, wonder how they’ll be able to pay for everything. A woman shopping in the store was carefully picking out a few work shirts when Frechen tracked down a beautiful blouse to show her. Though she instantly fell in love with it, she worried about its cost. Frechen told her it wouldn’t cost her anything. “I get so many hugs and kisses and so many nice things said,” the 79-year-old says. “I just feel so good. It’s a thrill.”
People lately have been looking for blankets to combat the cold. Frechen says they’d given out their last one when a woman returned and dropped off another load. “Was I happy when the lady came ...God is good. He knows what we need.. And I ask Him all the time, ‘Please help me to have the things that people need.’ Oh, He’s so good. And I thank Him for letting me have a part in this,” she says.
Frances of Greeley, who declined to give her last name, says she shops for her grandson. She comes every couple of weeks, she said, happy to leave with new things for him.
“You’ve really got to hand it to that woman, she’s in there trying to help everybody else out,” says Marion of Lake Ariel, who declined to give her last name. “She’s a real Godsend, this woman,” Marion said. If it wasn’t for Gloria, Marion says she’s not sure what they’d do. She said it’s near impossible to pay bills, buy clothes and everything else one needs. “This helps,” she said.
Ralph Westgate of Honesdale was dropping off a bag full of items. “They’re too good to throw in the garbage,” he said, pleased that someone else will get some wear out of his donation. “I think it’s great,” he said of the center, “because everything’s going locally.”
“Gloria makes a big difference,“ Donatelli said. “She really does. And there’s places out there that help those that need things, but unfortunately, they charge them. And here, they can just come and get what they need. And you know, their needs are filled. And it’s truly helping ...Gloria’s a very giving person. She spends many hours here.”
“I just love people,” Frechen said. “And I like to do anything to help ...Even when I go to bed at night, I’m thinking about things I want to do down here, something to make it a little better. Then, I finally have to tell myself, ‘Stop, you have to go to sleep.’” Their first location, in the lower level of Cozy Corners in Seelyville, corner of Maple Avenue and Bridge Street, is open every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In past, as many as 30 people came through the door in any given day, Frechen said. “There’s a lot of people from New York state and Beach Lake that come,” she said, explaining the new location will cut down on their travel distance.
As for her hopes for the future, Frechen says, “I keep praying for me to find better ways to set things up.” One woman, visiting the center, said, “You need a bigger place. I will be looking for a bigger ...place for you.”
