“Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
– Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Eden Prairie Lifestyle cannot tell you how to be a good person. That would fall under the purviews of religion and philosophy, on which there are far better authorities than our humble staff.
But I can tell you how to feel like a good person: commit acts of kindness toward those around you, and know your existence benefits others. Doing so gives you purpose no matter your purviews.
The PROP Shop makes it easy to do immediate good for your neighbors in Eden Prairie and Chanhassen. The non-profit resale store offers quality clothing, furniture and household goods for sale to anyone who would like them. The store is for the benefit of the PROP Shop’s Family Services, which supply essentials to local families in need.
“The things people need the most are the same things they use the most,” said Vicki Bomben, operations manager for the PROP Shop. “Sheets, blankets, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, clothes, kids’ clothes; our Family Services provide them all free of charge. High demand means we are always in need of these goods immediately. If you have a pot stashed away that you can’t remember last using, this could finally be its year to cook someone’s Christmas dinner. Just bring it into our donation center!
“Demand for our Family Services isn’t just high. Recent economic affairs mean it’s sadly also increasing. We gave out 257 beds in 2022. We gave out 244 during this year’s first 8 months alone.”
The PROP Shop does not expect such magnanimity as to receive dozens of donated beds each month. And there, in my opinion, is what makes it so great. If you would like to feel what Victor Hugo described as “a penny’s worth of paradise,” then the PROP Shop is always available to graciously accept your generous cash donation.
“The PROP Shop has helped over 3,300 local families since first opening our doors in 2007,” said Vicki. “Our non-profit could only accomplish that much thanks to our community’s benefactors, who give us the cash we need to buy essentials as soon as our clients request them. We constantly purchase socks, underwear, and other garments that usually aren’t donated – and are seldom in usable condition when they are.
“I helped a single mother just recently. Her two daughters had both outgrown their beds, and she, dealing with a health crisis, could not afford new ones. When she first reached out, one of her daughters slept on a plastic bag laid out across the floor. We immediately bought her an air bed, just to hold her over until we could deliver new full-size beds and mattresses for both girls.
“The PROP Shop doesn’t only provide necessities. A few months ago a client mentioned to me that she was looking for Legos for her son who really loves Star Wars. Good fortune really had it out for that kid that day, because what comes in half an hour later? A big Star Wars Lego set. I’m told he still plays with it to this day.”
The kindness of strangers isn’t limited to donated items and money. The PROP Shop could not have given away almost $4 million worth of necessities over the years without hands-on assistance by more than 3,650 volunteers.
“When you donate your time to the PROP Shop, you do much more than make a huge, positive impact on the community,” said Vicki. “You become a part of our own little special community as well. I’ve watched many strangers turn into fast friends while volunteering together. It’s easier to form bonds with people when you share the same goal of helping others.
“It’s also easy to strike up a conversation over some of the more interesting things that flow through our donation center. Historic diaries aren’t an uncommon find here. The other day it was all hands on deck figuring out the purpose of some alien-looking doodad. (The committee ruled it is a hot dog slicer.) One time one of our volunteers, Ace, who was then in her nineties, noticed a certain book that looked like one which had belonged to her father. Further inspection revealed the inscription that proved it was in fact his!”
This holiday season, give clothes, cookware, furniture, and everything else people need to the people who need them most. Visit propshopep.org to learn how you can support the PROP Shop, or visit the donation center at 15195 Martin Drive, Eden Prairie Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-3pm. Each bag or box of donations may not exceed 40 pounds (volunteers’ rotator cuffs are irreplaceable). If you want to donate furniture, great! But please call Vicki and her friends first at (952) 224-7051, as they aren’t prepared to accept all furniture.
Urgent Needs
- Kids’ clothing
- Socks
- Underwear
- Winter coats
- Mittens
- Tennis shoes
- Blankets
- Bed sheets
- Towels
- Pots & pans
- Beds & tall dressers call (952) 224-7051 first