New City Mission thrift store opens in Washington County
At last count, there were 20 unhoused people in Washington County, according to the 2025 Point in Time homeless count.
One of the resources there to offer assistance is City Mission. It's served thousands of meals and offered shelter to many over the years.
On Tuesday morning, the Mission opened a new thrift store in Canonsburg after an older location was closed a year ago.
That building's owner wanted to expand with its own project, but the space was a flagship for City Mission in downtown Canonsburg.
"This is a great day for City Mission," said City Mission's president, Diana Irey Vaughn.
"When the old City Mission closed down, the people spoke," Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome said.
So, the city and the nonprofit didn't give up on returning to Canonsburg.
"City Mission's been very blessed by the generosity of the community, who really care about their neighbors," said Vaughn.
Now with the opening of its new City Mission Thrift, every dollar spent goes to the nonprofit's mission of helping the homeless.
"Not just shelter, but meals, medical needs are met at City Mission, job training, GED programs," Vaughn explained.
Deb Hanley said she fell in love with this Mission as a volunteer eight years ago.
"It's turned into a really big passion of mine," said Hanley. Now she works at the thrift store, and she puts her own hard-earned money toward the billboard advertising what's in this 4,000 square foot space.
"I love what the Mission does, I really do. I'm so supportive of that, and I love this store. I love the people. I love the community too, so I'm just so glad that we got to stay in Canonsburg," Hanley said.
It's a labor of love that shows. Rows of organized displays present a variety of clothes, jewelry, and furniture for anyone to buy at a discounted price.
It's more than a new shopping option; it's spending while supporting resources for our community.
"There was a lot of people that turned out. And if you are looking for something special, come to the city mission thrift shop, right here in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and you will not be disappointed," said Rhome.
Last year, City Mission served more than 84,000 meals to the community, provided over 47,000 nights of shelter, and over 14,000 medical clinic services.
The next step is for City Mission to expand with a 50-bed women's shelter. That's expected to open in September.
