NORTH SALT LAKE—The Ladies of Charity Center of Hope has been feeding families for many years and now they’re going to provide clothes for those in need in their new Thrift Shop. Fr. Andrzej Skrzypiec, Pastor of St. Olaf church gave the blessing at its opening on May 11.

“We’ve expanded the building,” said Bobby Earl, President of the organization Ladies of Charity. “We purchased the building behind and we store food there. The food used to be where the clothes are. With the extra space we were able to open a thrift store. We’ll just do clothes for now and get our feet wet to see what it takes to run a thrift store.”

The building was funded by donations, she said. “Performance Automotive Bountiful is paying our rent for a year.”

“Everything in the thrift shop has been donated,” said Earl. “Mostly by the St. Olaf parish. All clothes need to be clean and folded.There are no washing facilities. People have come to the door and want clothes, now we can tell them yes.”

Ladies of Charity was started in 1617 in Paris, France, Earl said. “Saint Vincent dePaul started us. They were serving families in need of help in France. It’s still worldwide.”

“That same Vincentian spirit characterizes the Association today,” according to the history on theladiesofcharity.org. “It asks for the personal gift of self, of time, devotion, sacrifices and perseverance in the effort to bring dignity to each person and to respond with compassion to every human misery.”

For several years the LDS church has brought milk, cheese and eggs, she said. “They go to the Bishops’ Storehouse and get it every week. It’s absolutely wonderful.”

“The church has donated many, many pounds of food,” said John Hollingshead, director Davis County Utah Communication Council. “We raised cash for their new fridge. We accelerated help the last year and a half. The Layton Storehouse donates regularly, so does the Bountiful Food Pantry and there are also private donations. We love to help these ladies.”

The center serves those in North Salt Lake, West Bountiful, Woods Cross and the Rose Park and Glendale areas of Salt Lake, said Earl. “We also have people coming from Fruit Heights, Farmington and other areas.”

The Ladies of Charity Center of Hope is located at 74 South Orchard Drive in North Salt Lake. Hours are Mondays from 6 – 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Donation dates for the thrift shop will be announced at a later date. l