The Methodist Thrift Shop in Cortez is celebrating its 50th year in business in August. The thrift store will host a celebration on Aug. 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be free cookies and snow cones, and items will be 50% off. The public also will be able to tour the back of the store.

Jean Schwien, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Cortez, said that the thrift store is run almost entirely by volunteers, and that its goal is to help low-income community members. The store is also a place for community members to “discover hidden treasures and collectibles,” Schwien said.

Schwien spoke about the history of the thrift store. The store started originally to cover the mortgage for a new church building.

“The records we have start in 1973, but we think it was going for five or six years before that,” she said.

The business started in the basement of the old Methodist church, where Underwood Plaza is now located on Beech Street. The building the thrift store is now located in is the third building the business has occupied in 50 years.

Proceeds go toward local nonprofit organizations like Hope’s Kitchen, the Bridge Shelter, and Good Samaritan Food Pantry. Items are also donated to local outreach programs and families affected by home fires or other disasters, Schwien said. Homeless folks are provided with warm clothing as well.

“Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone into the community in 50 years,” Schwien stated. “We want to provide a place where people with not a lot of money can come and shop with dignity and get what they need for their families at a price they can afford.”

In addition to community outreach in Cortez, Methodist Thrift Shop sends trailer loads of items down to Chinle, Arizona, for an outreach program there, Schwien stated.

The store also does textile recycling. If items are donated that can’t be sold, they go onto a trailer. When that trailer is full, the textiles are bailed and put on a semitrailer and shipped off to Four Corners Textile Recycling. The store doesn’t make a profit from this, but their goal is to keep these items out of the landfill.

Members of the First United Methodist Church, as well as community friends, come together to volunteer at the thrift store, sorting and organizing items.

“For people who feel lonely, it’s a great place to connect,” Schwien said.

The event will double as their annual back to school sale, so all children’s clothes will be on the racks, ready for purchase.