By Tessa Nacke
Tucked away on the corner of Slater and Beach is the Huntington Beach chapter of the Assistance League organization. Assistance League, founded in 1930 by Ada Laughlin and Anne Banning, was created after the 1904 San Francisco earthquake.
“They realized that there was a lot of need in Northern California for people to have emergency goods, clothing and everything. So they loaded up one of [Laughlin’s] husband’s rail cars full of merchandise…and they shipped it up there and it was received so well that during the Depression, they again revived their tradition. So they started a national charitable organization around 1930,” Assistance League volunteer Mary Ackman said.
The Huntington Beach chapter is one of the oldest chapters, having been founded in 1958. Open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, this chapter’s thrift store features multiple sections of clothing for as low as $4 per item of clothing. These quality items are priced lower than much of the ‘mainstream’ thrift stores, and their corner boutique features more high end clothing with higher prices to match.
“We get lots and lots of young people who love our vintage section,” Ackman said.
This chapter has everything, from luggage to books to houseware to vintage prom dresses. They receive their clothing solely from donations, and they are on track to do $700,000 in sales for this year alone.
“We [have] very high quality clothing. We won’t take anything that is missing a button, that has a stain or an inoperable zipper. The same thing with our housewares, we won’t accept anything that is soiled. So everything that you bought here is going to be in excellent condition. And we’re very proud of that and it takes a lot of manpower to go through all the merchandise and make sure that it’s in good quality,” Ackman said.
The best part about this thrift store is that all the money goes back to the community. Moving like a well-oiled machine, this chapter has over 300 unpaid volunteers. Assistance League helps the communities of Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Westminster through multiple different programs.
Their biggest program that they support is Operation School Bell.
“[Operation School Bell] is for children who are underprivileged. These are kids that receive school lunch, they’re vetted by their school nurse and they’re welcome to enter our program. And depending on their age, they receive brand new clothing … money for shoes, and they can also get some basic toiletries,” Ackman said.
They also support special programs, such as Huntington Beach High School’s Academy for the Performing Arts, Golden West College’s Nursing Program and the Junior Lifeguards Training Program.
They support veterans, college students, underprivileged children, families, single parents and teachers. No need goes unnoticed at this special chapter.
“We support the Veterans Resource Center. We bring snacks and gift cards, gas cards, computers, we’ve run computers. We also support the veterans when they do law enforcement,” Ackman said.
This chapter also has an auxiliary of Assisteens, a volunteer organization that works directly with the chapter to gain work experience and volunteer hours.
It seems as if every issue is met with love and support from the Assistance League volunteers. From offering free clothes to college students, to giving teachers $500 stipends, and even giving young kids the chance to participate in extracurriculars, this chapter loves to help their community.
What really sets this specific chapter apart from the other Assistance League stores out there is the pure dedication to the program.
“We are one of the most successful [chapters], we’ve been around over 75 years. There are a lot of very professional women who have propelled this to the next level. You know, we own the property, and a lot of people don’t have that advantage that we have. We’re also very, very involved in community activities … Whenever there is a function going on, we’re going to be represented there,” Ackman said.
By being 100% volunteer run, The Assistance League Thrift Store of Huntington Beach is proud of their history, and how their philanthropic impact on the community continues to help anyone in need.
