Thrift Store Donates Profits To Ocean City Humane Society

OCEAN CITY, NJ — As a former volunteer at the Humane Society of Ocean City, Donna Kelly spent many of her mornings taking dogs for walks before the shelter opened its doors.

Kelly, who has lived in Ocean City full-time for 20 years, loves all animals and as a volunteer she found that the Humane Society of Ocean City's caring staff shared her passion.

“I really believe in what they’re doing, and as a volunteer I would see them and how they reacted to the animals. I saw a lot of passion and I like that because I’m very passionate about every animal,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s latest endeavor to help the Humane Society of Ocean City (HSOC) is her own donation-based thrift store whose profits benefit the shelter.

Oh Sea Thrift is open Friday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 841 Central Ave. Home goods, clothing and furniture donated by the local community get renewed use after they are purchased in the store.

“You name it, we have it,” Kelly said, adding that the store is stocked with different items from week to week.

The store's donations help offset the cost of an array of services for animals in the HSOC's shelter, including spay and neuter procedures, heartworm treatments and surgeries. The HSOC also provides first aid to wildlife animals like injured squirrels and birds before transporting them to other treatment facilities.

“We were really excited about it because it’s a two-way street,” said Bill Hollingsworth, HSOC’s executive director. “The humane society is part of the community and the community is part of the humane society, and she wanted to find a way to help with our cause and to promote our organization in the community.”

The store hosted a meet and greet last month for one of the shelter’s puppies that needed a home. A family that was shopping in the store just adopted the seven-month-old Labrador mix on Thursday.

“It’s nice we can take our animals back out into the community and showcase them there,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s a win for both sides. You can see all the volunteers take pride in it. It’s nice to see that someone in the community is doing something like that.”

Kelly said people were giving her donations for the store before she even secured the storefront.

Most of the donations that the store has received have been of high quality, including designer shoes, wicker furniture and coastal paintings. Several shoppers have told Kelly that it feels more like a boutique than a thrift store.

“I have repeat people come in and say ‘I have more stuff!’ They’re excited to show me and that’s so nice,” she said. “I believe when you have a cause and you’re passionate about it, you get blessed. That’s definitely what I’ve felt from the community.”

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