Ohio Thrift Shop Raises Thousands For Amish People With Special Needs
Save & Serve is a special kind of store – a nonprofit operation whose earnings are directed to benefit various outreach projects, supporting the Mennonite Central Committee’s mission.
Based in Millersburg, Ohio, it’s a thrift shop selling a “curated selection of gently-used items”, according to its website. Founded in the mid-1970s, they’ve been at it for over half a century now.
Periodically, Save & Serve holds Saturday “Benefit Days” on which all sales are directed to help a local cause – upcoming days include benefits for a local food pantry, and for the Ohio Dislexia Center.
Several weeks ago, the local cause they supported happened to be Special Hearts Workshop, which aids Amish adults and children with special needs. Your Ohio News reports on the success of the day:
Save & Serve Thrift Shop raised $4,675 for Special Hearts Workshop Dec. 13 during its Benefit Day.
Special Hearts Workshop serves adults and children with special needs within the Amish community. Located between Charm and Farmerstown, the nonprofit provides vocational piece-work opportunities for 44 adults with developmental disabilities and operates a day care program serving 37 elementary-age children.
Its mission is to provide a clean environment of love and care for adults and children with special needs in the Amish community, giving parents a respite from the daily care of these individuals.
More specifically, Special Hearts Workshop, located in Baltic, sells handmade crafts and gifts made by the adults. If that’s something you’d like to check out and possibly support, they are located at 4744 County Road 59, Baltic, Ohio.
The Amish & Individuals With Special Needs
On the topic of people with special needs, the Amish have different ways that they work with and integrate those individuals into their communities. There are classes for children with special needs – though children in that category may in some cases attend public school, depending on what is available in their communities.
They also have a publication called “Life’s Special Sunbeams” with stories from teachers and parents of special needs children, which helps create a community of sorts across wider Amish society, via the print medium. As one Amishman described it for us, “a Down syndrome child, slow learner child or any child is a Blessing from God.”
Neat to see one local organization helping another for a good cause. And if you’d like to shop at Save & Serve and support what they are doing, they are located at 1108 South Washington Street in Millersburg, OH.
Special Needs Fundraiser
That is just an awesome story! An inspiration for the New Year. Happy New Year!
Absolutely! And I hope we have a bunch more in the “Feel Good” category this year.
Comment on "3 mistake's...."
I enjoyed your video at the end of your story. I think the over judgement you speak about is so easy for all of us to fall into. We lump all “dropouts, foreigners, Yankees, rednecks,..”(the list could go on indefinitely) into one group. And the one or two people we have experience with is how we judge all the other people we lump into that group. Such a good reminder to allow each individual we meet to show us who they are!
On the part of your video about Amish meeting houses— you showed a meeting house here in Kalona! As far as I understand from my Amish neighbor’s, they have church in their homes here in Kalona too. (Amish tend to have church every other week.)Then on the “off” Sunday they have Sunday school in their Sunday school houses.
I have enjoyed reading your stories! I am from “non-plain background” as the “plain” people say among themselves. My husband was raised Mennonite in the Kalona community and we moved here several years ago. I know more about various Mennonite groups than Amish. Very interesting to learn more!