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Salvation Army Buys 224 Building for New Store
BOARDMAN, Ohio -- The Salvation Army plans to open a family store and donation center in the former Oak Express building on Route 224 as early as this fall, a spokesman said Thursday.
The Christian nonprofit agency purchased the 14,756-square-foot building, located at 444 Boardman-Canfield Road, for $786,500, according to the website of the Mahoning County Auditor’s Office. Kutlick Realty LLC brokered the sale of the building, which was constructed in 1990.
The donation center will accept contributions of clothing, furniture and other household items. Donated items then will be processed, sorted and sold through the family store or, in some instances, given directly to families and individuals in need, said Lt. Col. Timothy Raines, adult rehabilitation centers commander.
“We are hoping to have the renovations compete for an opening in the fall or, at the latest, this winter,” he said, though he conceded that “a lot of variables” could change that timeline. Once open, he anticipates the new store will create at least 15 to 20 jobs.
“We feel that the total cost of the project, including the purchase and projected renovation costs, is quite reasonable considering the tremendous benefit we anticipate the store providing to both our adult rehabilitation center as well as the community at large,” Raines added.
Funds raised through the sale of items at the Boardman store will support the adult rehabilitation center in Akron.
The Akron center is one of more than 100 such facilities across the country. At the centers, individuals “who have lost everything to alcohol, drugs, homelessness and other issues receive help and hope,” he said. The Salvation Army, founded during the 1850s and organized under a quasi-military structure, formerly operated an adult rehabilitation center on Mahoning Avenue near downtown Youngstown. Other adult rehabilitation centers erving the region are in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa.
Locally, the Salvation Army has a thrift store on Route 422 in Warren and operates the Warren Community Corps downtown, which offers a food pantry and provides meals. In Youngstown, its Youngstown Citadel and Youngstown Temple are housed at 1501 Glenwood Ave. on the South Side.
“The Youngstown Citadel is a church/house of worship, but also a community center dedicated to serving the men, women and children who are at-risk and in need of financial, social service, and spiritual support,” Raines said. “We work every day to elevate individuals up from despair to provide hope and assistance. In teaching life skills, we provide individuals with an opportunity to maximize their physical, emotional, and spiritual being to effect life change.”
Both the donation center/family store and the Youngstown Citadel “are committed to supporting and strengthening the community,” Raines said. “This new store will enhance the services provided to area families as both programs work in concert to help those in need,” he continued.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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