STATE COLLEGE– On the last Saturday of every month, the community is invited to shop for free at Woodycrest United Methodist Church.
The Free for All Shop offers donated clothing for all ages, housewares, small appliances, books, toys, backpacks, holiday decorations and more.
Members of the church started the Free for All Shop in 2010.
“We always try to do a mission project,” said Debbie Romig, a volunteer and church member. “Corning was closing. And gas prices were rising. We thought all these people losing their jobs might need help.
“We had the idea for everything being free from the beginning. We never know when it could be us that needed help. We named it Free for All. We didn’t want anyone to show a welfare card. We wanted it to be free for everyone.”
She said they started with a few old tables and had six or eight people show up the first time. “As far as I’m concerned, God took over,” she said. “We went from one room to three rooms.”
The event was shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic and reopened in October 2021.
“Prior to COVID, we had 100 people who showed up in the winter and a line out the door,” Romig said.
“We had cones in the hallway to line them up. We had that many people and needed to get them out of the cold.
“Currently, 20 to 30 people are coming,” she said. “It’s almost like starting over. We just wanted it to be a mission to help the community. Prior to COVID, it almost became a community of fellowship. People would shop then hang out in the chairs.”
Initially they asked the congregation to donate items for the shop. Romig said they received grants through their church conference to buy bookcases and clothing racks.
“We’re always looking to improve,” Romig said. “We installed the elevator for church use and for the Free for All. We’d had a chair lift and Centre Region said it didn’t meet code. So, we started a campaign fund to put in an elevator. We did put a doorbell at the top so they can ring to get the lift.
“We’ve had a lot of fun, and been blessed by it too,” she said. “One story that comes to mind is a couple that came in. The father had lost his job and it was their 10-year-old’s birthday. He got a bike and a video game. Those kinds of stories keep us going. A lot of people get Christmas gifts, too.”
She said about 12 church members volunteer for this church mission, which is called “In His Service.” The main fundraiser is a pork and sauerkraut dinner in the beginning of November that’s currently takeout. The mission also sells Marianna hoagies in the spring and receives occasional donations of money.
The public can bring donations to the covered porch of the church. It is not currently accepting clothing and does not take large furniture.
The next Free for All will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Woodycrest United Methodist Church, 219 Clearfield Ave., in State College.
This story appears in the Aug. 25-31 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
