Free Store 15104 on Righteous Crowd this week!
FREE STORE 15104
Receiving surplus and donated goods and redistributing them to neighbors in need
This week we read, Bereshit ("In the Beginning"), the first portion in the Torah. Inspired by the concept of "beginning," we are supporting Free Store 15104 in Braddock, Pennsylvania which aims to give people a new start and recycled items a new home.
Please read our interview below with Founder Gisele Barreto Fetterman.
What is the mission of Free Store 15104?
We receive surplus and donated goods and redistribute them to neighbors in need. We want to change individual relationships with material goods while combating poverty through empowerment. We work to find and show the value in the devalued.
Why did you decide to start your organization in 2012?
I came to this county as a young immigrant and experienced poverty first hand. We were dumpster divers and curb shoppers and I was shocked to witness the excess and waste this country had in abundance. I wanted to create a dignified and loving way that these items could be shared with those in the greatest need.
What are some non-monetary ways for others to get involved in your organization or cause?
Thinking of us when cleaning out your closets or upgrading your accessories, kitchen things. But also, asking places where you shop wherever you may live, to reconsider what they throw out and how it could be better utilized by those in need.
What has your organization's response been to COVID-19?
We made the difficult decision to close for a few weeks but we’re busier than ever. We began to provide safe porch drop offs of food, clothing and other needs while we worked to upgrade our space to be able to continue to serve families safely.
What’s a story about Free Store 15104 that is meaningful to you?
There are so many. I cry at least a few times every week but one that stands out is about a woman and a Costco-sized box of diapers. She arrived one day and handed me the box and shared that Free Store 15104 ensured her baby had diapers when she couldn’t provide for her. She said now she is in a better place and needed to pay it forward.
What has surprised you about working with Free Store 15104?
Not surprised but I just think people are amazing and they inspire me every day. I get to witness humanity every single day I go to work and I’m filled with so much hope. From the volunteers to the donors to the shoppers, I have the best people around me.
What's the best part of your job and why?
We get to be let into very vulnerable spaces of someone’s life. That is an incredible honor and responsibility and I will never take it for granted.
Who has inspired you in the work that you are doing?
My mother, who left behind a PhD and a coveted career in her country to work as an undocumented domestic worker in America. That courage, that hope and that love overwhelms me.
To learn more about Free Store 15104, click here.
If you know people in the Pittsburgh area with bicycles to donate, check out Free Store 15104 shipping container neighbor and not-for-profit: Red Lantern Bicycles