Through a collaborative partnership, The Salvation Army’s Prairies and Northern Territories Division has transferred oversight of the Moose Jaw and Assiniboia thrift stores, both in Saskatchewan, along with the provincial sorting centre, to the Army’s National Recycling Operations (NRO). The goal of this move is to free corps officers from the management of these operations, allowing them to focus more closely on ministry while giving stores specialized support to operate even more effectively.

According to Michele Walker, national director of planning and strategic initiatives for NRO, this transition has been in development for a couple of years. “At the beginning, our focus was on building relationships with the staff, establishing trust and providing support. We wanted to learn about the people, the community, the stores and work together to bridge gaps,” she says.

Since the official transition, NRO has brought in multiple initiatives to enhance the stores and sorting centre. The most significant is the point-of-sale system, which helps staff track daily sales more efficiently. Additionally, store layouts have been updated and the locations are receiving more merchandise, creating a more engaging and customer-friendly shopping experience. These changes have already shown some positive results, with sales going up 15 percent over budget.

“We wanted to bring consistency and financial stability by having NRO take the lead. We wanted to ensure corps officers were able to focus on their main responsibility, which is to lead ministry,” says Major Mike Hoeft, area commander, who first approached NRO about the partnership.

According to Major Hoeft, this transition could pave the way for other Salvation Army thrift stores to follow. “We have tracked the process along the way to learn some lessons that could be helpful for other church-run stores going forward,” he says.

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