Our Thrift Shop as a Social Enterprise

Rarely does anyone who has been around JBUC for any length of time talk about the Thrift Shop as a source of revenue. And for good reason. Regardless of whether you donate goods or are a faithful shopper; or you are one of the Thrift Shops dedicated volunteers, or rely on the friendly words and smiling faces as a point of connection in your day; you can see (even if you just watch from a distance) clearly that the value of the James Bay United Church Thrift Shop is the connection, the people work and the humanity of the enterprise.

A social enterprise is described as a community-based business that sells goods or services to generate revenue, using its profits primarily to achieve a social, cultural, or environmental purpose. Unlike traditional businesses, they reinvest earnings into their mission rather than maximizing profit for shareholders, functioning as a "blended value" model. 

Yes, the revenue produced by the Thrift Shop is important to our seven-day-a-week church. But, our Thrift Shop serves the neighbourhood in ways that cannot be contained by or represented on any spreadsheet. 

With thanks to all of the JBUC Thrift Shop leadership and volunteers, shoppers, looky-loos, and bystanders – here are the financial results of last year's efforts:

Gordon Miller,
Treasurer

Ministries And Programs
JBUC Office