Good Shepherd thrift store scheduled to open this fall

FORT SCOTT, Kan.. -- Good Shepherd of Bourbon County, Inc., has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt organization and is preparing to purchase of the old Gene's IGA at 301 S. Crawford St. so it can open a thrift store inside the building.

The store is slated to open this fall.

"We are excited to finally get back on the road to making Good Shepherd Thrift a reality for the people of Fort Scott," said Mahlon Stucky, the charity's administrator. "But there is much work that still needs to be done."

The charity's immediate need is for financial assistance to complete necessary repairs and remodeling of the building before it can open.

Donations of clothing, furniture and household goods can't be accepted until the facility's processing and storage areas are completed and prepared to handle such items. That takes money, Stucky said.

"When the Salvation Army store closed in Fort Scott two years ago, it left a big hole in a lot of people's lives," Stucky said. "Good Shepherd Thrift will fill that hole, but we need some financial help to get the store put together and open.

"In good faith, I've personally invested everything I have to get it to this point. But from now on, its completely a matter of faith in God and the good will of the people of Fort Scott to complete it. If everybody will just give a little bit now, together our shared sacrifice will result in a great reward."

Stucky said some people have expressed concern that