Impact Streamlines Processing Center

Impact Thrift Stores, with a store in Montgomeryville, has opened a new corporate center, which includes the corporate processing and recycling center. The new center opened in November and all processing - sorting, cleaning, tagging - of donating items happens here.

Jill Tarabar, Assistant Director of Business Development, said the new center steam lines the processing process, and helps keep each store stock with what their customers are looking for. For instance, if the Montgomeryville store is low on women's size 10 pants, they can have more shipped to them.

At the processing center, all small electronic items and all small items with a plug (lamps, coffeemakers, etc) are tested to make sure they are still in good working order before being sent to a store to be sold.

All upholstery is cleaned and sprayed with a disinfectant, per federal standards. Donated jewelry is also cleaned and, if needed, repaired. Tarabar said watches are even given new batteries if they need them.

Impact Thrift has has 7 trucks on the street 6 days a week collecting donations and delivering customer purchases. There are also trucks parked at the processing center each day that are filled with what each store needs and sent to the stores each night. Those trucks are then filled the next day by the store with donations and returned to the processing center.

Impact Thrift financially supports 16 local charities that deal with families and children in crisis. The funds are to be unrestricted and can be used for anything from salaries to day to day office needs.

Impact also coordinates help with two other charities: Jewish Family and Children's Service and Sustained Acts. 

With Jewish Family and Children's Service, they worked with their clients in need to get them what the clients need, whether it's a washing machine, a microwave, a winter coat, etc.

In each store, Sustained Acts sells Kenyan craft items, with 100 percent of the sales going back to Sustained Acts, who then gives 75 percent of the profits back to Kenyan artisans.

Impact Thrift opened their first store, in Hatboro in 2001. The Montgomeryville store originally opened  in 2002 on Main Street in Lansdale and moved to its current location in 2009. A year ago, Impact opened their fourth store in Feasterville.

Donations can be made all all four stores until approximately 5 p.m. Learn more on their website and Facebook page.