If you spend much time traveling on Dixie Drive, you’ve probably passed The Hope Chest. There it sits, a thrift store with a parking lot that seems to be packed no matter what time of day you pass by. Cars come and go, donations are dropped off and shoppers carry their latest treasures back out the doors. “Our parking lot is packed every day,” store manager Shellie DeVeau said. “It’s a great problem to have.”
From the road, The Hope Chest might look like just another busy secondhand store. The bigger surprise comes after you finally find somewhere to park. Step through the doors and The Hope Chest hardly feels like the stereotype of a thrift store. Clothing hangs neatly on racks. Shoes line the shelves. Books sit in orderly rows. Furniture is staged, while jewelry, dishes, artwork and home décor are arranged with enough care that it’s easy to forget most of it arrived in somebody’s donation pile.
Still, more keeps coming through the doors. “We have the most generous community,” DeVeau said. “What people give is amazing — from gold rings, fine china, furniture, clothes.” In fact, DeVeau said the store often receives more than it has room to sell. The overflow is passed along to other organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Common Ground in Colorado City. It is another example of how far one donation can travel. What The Hope Chest cannot use, another organization can put to work — keeping that act of giving moving through the community.
From the volunteers working up front to those sorting donations in the warehouse, there is an unmistakable feeling that the people here actually want to be there. Volunteers range from children as young as 10 helping alongside their mothers to retirees looking for a meaningful way to spend their time. The oldest volunteer is 92. DeVeau said that for many of them, volunteering gives back something that has nothing to do with money — a sense of purpose and the reminder that they still have something valuable to contribute.
And they look like they know it. People laugh, visit and work with an ease that is hard to miss. Even the store’s prayer box has become part of the personality of the place, giving customers a spot to add a prayer request for themselves or someone else. The prayer box only needed one small adjustment. “We had to nail it to our table,” DeVeau said, laughing. “Because it got sold once.”
Everything for sale inside The Hope Chest was given by someone. Once those items are sold, that act of giving doesn’t end at the register. What happens to those dollars next is something many shoppers may not realize. The Hope Chest’s net proceeds help fund The Well Pregnancy Resource Center, where services are provided at no cost. If you’re wondering how you can help The Hope Chest, DeVeau kept it simple. “People can donate, volunteer or shop.” Those simple acts help make the work at The Well possible.
At The Well Pregnancy Resource Center, those thrift-store dollars become something much more tangible: pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting education, baby supplies and a place for women to sit down and figure out what comes next. The women who arrive at The Well come from all kinds of circumstances. Some are married; some are single. Some have stable homes while others may be couch surfing or struggling financially. Some know what they want to do next; others simply need somewhere to start.
“We just want to hear their story,” Executive Director Jennie Mathews said. “We want them to feel empowered to make the choice that is best for them.” The center is Christian and biblically based, but non-denominational. Staff members said their purpose is not to direct clients toward one particular church. Instead, they encourage women who want that kind of support to find a church and community where they feel they belong.
In the room where staff sit down with women to talk through what they are facing, Philippians 4:7 — a verse about peace — is displayed on the wall, fitting for a place where women may arrive anxious or uncertain about what comes next.
Pregnancy testing is provided at no cost, and women who test positive may also receive a free ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy, check for cardiac activity and estimate how far along they are. Mathews said both the St. George and Cedar City locations have registered nurses on staff, with a physician overseeing the medical program and reviewing ultrasound scans.
The Well provides information about pregnancy options, including parenting and adoption. While the center does not provide termination services, staff members said they want women to understand their options and feel informed about whatever decision comes next. The Well also offers free STI testing and treatment to pregnant patients, with testing and treatment available to a current partner if the pregnant patient tests positive for an STI.
Help can extend long after that first appointment and continue until toddlerhood. Through a program called Earn While You Learn, mothers can work with mentors and take classes on subjects ranging from pregnancy and breastfeeding to basic parenting, budgeting, postpartum care and eventually toddlerhood. They earn points for participating in classes, watching educational videos and even keeping appointments such as doctor and pediatrician visits. Those points become purchasing power inside The Well’s baby boutique, where mothers can choose clothing, diapers, car seats, strollers and other necessities without spending money. The boutique accepts only new baby items — intentionally. “We want Mom to have that experience of shopping for something new,” Mathews said.
That small detail says a lot about the way the staff approaches the women who come to them. The goal isn’t simply to hand someone a bag of supplies and send her on her way. It is to give her information, resources and some confidence that she can take the next step. When The Well cannot provide something itself, staff members connect women with other community resources, from medical care and housing assistance to domestic-violence services and breastfeeding support.
For those who want to support The Well, donations, volunteer opportunities and current needs can be found at TheWellPRC.org.
After spending time at both The Hope Chest and The Well, what stands out most is not simply how much is being given, but how gladly people seem to give it. At both places, help is rarely meant to stop where it starts. The goal is to keep it moving — toward the next resource, the next organization or the next person who can help.
A bag of clothes. A few hours volunteering. A stroller. A listening ear. A shopper finding a treasure. Each seems small on its own, but together they create something much larger. There is something to be thankful for in a community where people still seem willing to look around, notice what someone else may need and ask what they can do to help.
If you’re wondering how you can help The Hope Chest...“People can donate, volunteer or shop.” Those simple acts...make the work at The Well possible.