Saint's Place Super Sale

When a refugee arrives at the airport in Rochester, often after living for years in a camp in a foreign country, they may have only the clothes they are wearing. Thanks to Saint’s Place, within just a few days they have moved into a fully furnished apartment and have received bags full of clothing they’ve picked out at the Saint’s Place Clothing Closet.

“Saint’s Place wouldn’t exist without the generosity of the Rochester community,” stated Isabel Miller, executive director of Saint’s Place. “Our Annual Super Sale is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we look forward to welcoming shoppers. Proceeds from our sale will go to purchase new beds and mattresses, winter clothing and boots, and other items for the refugees.”

The sale will take place at the St. Louis Church campus, 64 S. Main Street in Pittsford. Shoppers will have access to great deals on purses, jewelry, dishes, glassware, small kitchen appliances, furniture, linens, electronics, books, toys, sporting goods, bikes, clothing, and collectible items.

“Since our founding more than 20 years ago, Saint’s Place has helped furnish homes, provided clothing and offered tutoring to more than 20,000 individuals and families,” Miller said. “Even with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our volunteers have provided for 2,150 people since July 1, 2021. That number includes both refugees who have lived in Rochester for some time, along with 550 newly arriving refugees, many from Afghanistan, along with other war-torn countries. Thousands of refugees are now being processed to enter the United States, and we anticipate the arrival of 900 refugees in Rochester in the coming year.”

Schedule for the Super Sale is as follows:
First Chance Sale on Wednesday, July 6: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission fee of $10.
Thursday, July 7: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free admission.
Friday, July 8: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free admission. All items 50 percent off.
Saturday, July 9: 9 a.m. to noon. Bag sale. Shoppers pay $10 for the first bag and $5 for each additional bag filled to the brim. Bags are provided at the door.

“This year our goal is to raise $160,000 because we realize the needs of the refugees and the poor in Rochester are overwhelming,” said Michele Quinn, Associate Director of Saint’s Place, citing the fact that more than 50 percent of children in Rochester live in poverty. “We will be buying hundreds of beds and much more with the proceeds from the sale.” Thanks to the generosity of the Rochester community, Saint’s Place has helped more than 20 non-profits to meet the needs of the poor in Rochester.

“We are so pleased to have Caldwell Manufacturing back as our corporate sponsor of the Super Sale,” Miller stated. “In addition to financial support. Caldwell employees will again be volunteering for the sale.”
Other sponsors for the sale are Canandaigua National Bank, Zweigle’s and Wegmans.

Saint’s Place continues to help refugees further their education to lift them out of poverty through its Educational Initiative Program. “Since we started this effort, we have assisted about 135 refugee men and women to continue their education, for a total of $153,000 expended,” Miller said. “The monies were spent on partial tuitions to local colleges and OACES and other vocational programs for refugees to receive job training certificates, to pay accompanying fees, and to purchase laptops and textbooks. For example, we recently gave a laptop to an Afghan refugee who is graduating from Rush-Henrietta High School and will study nursing at Monroe Community College. Another refugee recently attended OACES and trained to become an electrician; he obtained a job with a local electrician’s company. Many of the participants made Dean’s List and have gone on to secure good jobs with benefits. Saint’s Place is committed to replacing the cycle of poverty with education and jobs.”

Saint’s Place also provides free tutoring to refugees (adults and children) at various locations, and each newly arriving refugee family receives a computer.