Volunteers like Tom Witham lead Heart and Hands Thrift Shop sales to $1M

MEREDITH — The Heart and Hands Thrift Shop sells clothing for adults at $3 per item, and children’s apparel for 50 cents, and it’s only open three days a week. Even so, on Aug. 17, the nonprofit hit the $1 million mark in sales after only seven years.

Not long before that, the organization, run by three area churches, celebrated that it had given away $541,000 to 132 organizations across the Lakes Region since opening in Aug. 2016. At a recent dinner at Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant, leaders recognized the hard work of 51 volunteers who’ve been working tirelessly to run the shop with its one paid manager.

“We don’t like to spend money on ourselves,” one organizer said. “But $500,000 was a milestone we never thought about, and we have so many volunteers to thank.”

‘We never thought it would get this big’ 

One key volunteer instrumental in the founding of Heart and Hands was Tom Witham of Meredith. Retired from his role in marketing in the textile industry after 40 years, he was inspired to get involved after Rev. Robin Soller, rector at Witham’s church, Trinity Episcopal, mentioned to him the Meredith Thrift Shop was closing in the winter of 2016.

The owner of that store, Lisa Stevenson, was stepping down and had let her lease on the building on Water Street lapse. Soller and Witham agreed the loss would be a great one for the community.

“We can’t let that end,” Witham said the two agreed. They found property on Mill Street vacated by Annalee Dolls, contacted Stevenson to help mentor them in getting started, and changed the name of the store to Heart and Hand Thrift Shop in a nod to the giving spirit of Jesus Christ.

Three churches aligned to run Heart and Hand — St. Charles Catholic Church, First Congregational Church of Meredith and Trinity Episcopal Church — and each appointed three volunteers to sit on a board of directors. Witham represented Trinity as one of the original nine board members, and he also served as its first treasurer. 

“We never thought it would get this big,” he said, adding the venture was frightening for all three churches at the start.

“We thought the building was larger than what we could afford,” he said. The Catholic and Episcopal dioceses, St. Charles and Trinity provided $18,000 in start-up funds, which took some pressure off. “That gave us the confidence to sign the five-year lease.”

Mission to recycle, provide and share

Heart and Hands Thrift Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. Located near the railroad station, the store accepts donations when it's open and sorts them in the back room.

“We have a mission statement to be the heart and hands of Jesus through the sale of affordable items and to invest all profits into local charities,” Witham said, noting that reuse, under-market prices and the sharing of profits were important and key concepts to all three churches.

Low prices also help with swift sales, which keeps inventory moving through the shop; there are often newly stocked goods on the shelves.

Nonprofit organizations apply to Heart and Hands for funding. Six get a grant every quarter, without needing to reapply: Hands Across the Table, Isaiah 61 Cafe, Center Harbor Soup Kitchen, Meredith Food Pantry, Lakes Region Caregivers and New Beginnings Without Violence and Abuse.

In the shop’s beginning, Witham said volunteers had no idea what they were doing. After agreeing to help get the group started, Stevenson played the key role of manager for six years, retiring a year ago. She still comes in once a week. 

“Without her, we would not have accomplished what we have in seven years,” Witham said.

Shopping at Heart and Hands

Stevenson counseled new volunteers on how to organize merchandise. She taught them that clothing was popular, but to be particular as stains and tears will turn buyers off.

The store stocks a wide range of items, from books, fabrics, Christmas decorations, kid’s games and activities to kitchen items, shoes, clothing and accessories.

During the pandemic, Witham said puzzles were popular and repeatedly sold out, and items like bread machines and other equipment people could use together at home were in demand.

All kinds of advocacy 

Witham served on the board, and as treasurer of the nonprofit for six years. “Now, I’m the old man who used to do it all and has all the answers,” he said.

He still attends board meetings, volunteers in the thrift shop — running the register or picking up materials that can’t be sold and doing a little bit of everything. He said the success of the shop is not about him: “It’s the group that came together.” 

His actions speak louder than his modesty, though. He’s the head of Got Lunch! Inter-Lakes; every Sunday in the summer, you can find him doing paperwork, and on Mondays, he’s at a local school with other volunteers, organizing the food they will give out that week, packing bags and preparing for the deliveries to 80 families, a total of 151 kids.

Witham is also active at Trinity, sitting on the vestry that governs the church, cutting the front lawn and distributing money raised by parishioners to organizations all over the world.

One thing he appreciates about his work for Heart and Hands is that it brought volunteers from the three different churches together in many ways. “We work together on other things now — such as renewing a roast beef dinner at Trinity that other churches’ members attend. We go to each other’s Christmas fairs and volunteer together at Got Lunch!”

He believes his work — and the work of all parishioners and volunteers — helps those who need it most. “One thing I tell everybody,” he said, “We hide poverty very well here in Meredith, but it’s here.”

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The Sunshine Effect is a new series in The Laconia Daily Sun highlighting the people and organizations working to improve our communities through volunteering and fundraising. We believe that telling their stories will encourage others to support their work, and launch new charitable efforts of their own. Have a suggestion for someone making a difference we should feature? Share it with us at laconiadailysun.com/sunshineeffecttip.