The Depot MCC Thrift Shops in Goshen, Ind., hit a milestone in December when it reached the $1 million mark of donations in one year to Mennonite Central Committee.

Since its inception, the store and its predecessors have given over $6 million to MCC, but 2023 was the first year that $1 million was donated in a single year.

The original Goshen MCC thrift shop was founded in 1975 by a group of women from College Mennonite Church. First named MCC Self-Help and Thrift Shop, it was located in Peddlers Village. The first year the thrift shop made a profit was in 1981, when it was able to donate $6,500 to MCC.

In the 1990s, there was a need for more space in the Goshen community for MCC projects, which resulted in the purchase and remodeling of the rundown old depot building, adjacent to the Old Bag Factory in Goshen. The original intent was for MCC meat canning, and a material resources center was added to process relief kits and comforters.

In 1994, the thrift shop was invited into the space and opened as The Whistlestop, occupying 7,000 square feet.

“Over the years the thrift shop grew, now occupying 20,000 square feet of retail space with another 20,000 square feet of warehouse and processing space,” said Galen Kauffmann, manager of The Depot. “Back in 2018, we were able to give $500,000 to MCC, and at that point we started dreaming of the possibility of reaching a point where we could give $1 million.

“That was the goal that has driven our remarkable growth over the past six years.”

Clothing is by far the highest- selling item, followed by household goods and variety items. Other big sellers are small furniture, hardware, electronics and sporting goods.

“Each of the donated items that sell for 50 cents to $5 really add up,” said Joy Liechty Yoder, thrift shops coordinator for MCC Great Lakes. “This gift — along with the other $27 million raised by MCC Thrift Shops in the U.S. and Canada — is an important source of funding for MCC and translates into making a real difference in people’s lives.”