08/13/2026
Buckle up, this is going to be a long post! 💙
For over a year we have partnered with St. Joseph Hospital Mobile Health Clinic to serve a hot meal, offer quality medical care and voucher assistance twice a month in front of the shop. The fantastic meal that pleases the regulars every time is created by the SJH food services team. Baked ziti, meatballs, garlic bread, fruit, cookie and water This effort is supported by St. Joseph Hospital. SJH employees sign up to serve a meal, just like a postman, rain, sleet, snow or hot summer weather we are there!☀️🌧️🌦️❄️🌨️
We set up tables, heat up chaffing pans, open the clinic, seek shelter under the clinics awning and serve the community.
We are inspected by the city and every time meet the standards to open up and serve a hot meal.
There was always one thing that would make set up a little cleaner, easier and expand our work space AND allow the shop to set up the outside sale space on non- meal Mondays.
A platform in the planter! One that is weather resistant, custom built to the exact measurements and made with slats to allow wet weather to go through.
Having this area in the winter would allow us to set up our serving station there instead on a table when the sidewalks are narrow from winter weather. ❄️🥶☃️
At our last meal, we were discussing dreams and I mentioned the planter. One of our volunteers, Sheila said “my husband builds things.” 🔨🪚🔩She asked me to draw what it might look like with measurements, and said she would ask her husband. Sometimes when people say this, you don’t hear from them again. But this time was different! On Tuesday morning I came into an email saying her husband was happy to help AND it would be done by Monday! 😳
We couldn’t believe it! So with great help from Laura Morabito Wilcox 8 bags of bark chips and dirt were removed. The dirt was leveled and landscape fabric placed and secured to help control the dust.
Then today like an early Christmas, the platforms were delivered and installed and it fits like a glove.
We are so grateful to our anonymous donor for his creativity, engineering, time and materials and muscle to single handedly install the platforms. It was more than we could have imagined. 💙
Our community is full of amazing people, that have generous hearts and kindness exudes from them!
We will call him “Al”, Al is a shining example of our pillar values! THANK YOU! 😊
*Compassion
*Collaboration
*Intergrity
*Excellence
I am grateful to be a part of an organization that has a strong Mission, that is supported by our leadership team and the AMAZING thrift shop team of staff and volunteers that manage the day to day operations of GNTS. 💙
