AUBURN – The For One Child-Twice as Nice Thrift Store in Auburn gives back not only to the local community, but for the Jamaican community as well.
The store is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, January 8 at 10 AM.
For One Child Foundation works to provide comfortable learning environments for kids in Jamaica’s rural and remote schools. The U.S.-based nonprofit was started by Jamaican native, Racquel Knight. While attending high school, Knight found it increasingly difficult to attain the comfort of a chair and desk each school day.
“Since 2017, we’ve provided over 600 chairs and desks and thousands of books to 14 schools across three parishes in Jamaica,” Knight said.
During her college years, Knight began to reflect on her experiences in Jamaica. Knight founded One Chair 4 One Child while a student at the former Becker College in Worcester, where she graduated with a degree in global citizenship in 2018.
Knight’s main mission for the thrift store is to provide quality products to her customers while keeping prices affordable and raising funds to help kids in Jamaica.
“Our thrift store includes men, women, youth and kids clothing, shoes, belts, scarves, and small household items. We also have kids’ toys, too,” Knight said. “Let’s just say it is our way of showcasing a little of Worcester on a global platform.”
Collaborating wasn’t anything new to Knight and she put her dreams to work along with For One Child’s fundraising director, Faith Whitney.
Whitney joined the team in 2018 and helped the organization raise tens of thousands of dollars to help kids in Jamaica.
“(Whitney’s) dedication to our organization’s mission and this thrift store is truly amazing and inspirational,” Knight said.
Knight is currently pursuing her MBA at Western Governors University. She registered the One Chair 4 One Child Project as a nonprofit in Massachusetts.
For more information about the For One Child Foundation organization, click here. For information on Thrift Store’s grand opening, click here. The store’s hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Lead image courtesy: For One Child Foundation/Facebook
