GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Rescue Mission thrift store will be closing permanently on December 15, 2021.
After a few years of financial burden that the thrift store has put on the Great Falls Rescue Mission, the board decided that it was time to close it.
“We have done everything that we could to make it work but rent prices are rising, heat prices are rising, and the biggest thing is garbage,” said Jim McCormick, director of the Rescue Mission.
He explained, “We started this originally as a training ground for those who go through our programs, as a way to get them out and about.”
The mission has employed several of the Rescue Missions residents, with a few sticking around.
The store manager said that working at the thrift store has changed his life, and he is heartbroken to see it go.
McCormick noted, “We have loved the store, we have worked with the store, and we have done everything we can to stay open, but it just doesn’t seem possible anymore - unless someone’s got a 1,500-square building they would like to donate to us, then we could keep a thrift store going.”
The Rescue Mission still plans on having a donation building where people can donate and receive clothing, however the location opening date and location have not yet been determined.
The thrift store is located at 1210 9th Street South. For more information, call 406-866-0150, or click here for the website.
