The challenges these nonprofits confront are remarkably similar to those any business faces.
Sarah Williams, executive director of Hannah’s Treasure Chest, can tell you all about it. A local gem that deserves revisiting from time to time, Hannah’s Treasure Chest gathers and distributes clothing, furniture, books and toys for children in need, from infancy to about age 12. These goods go to social and children’s service agencies in Montgomery, Greene, Butler and Warren counties.
Those are a lot of kids. The charity touches about 7,000 children a year.
Founder Angela Addington started the charity from her car trunk, then her basement, in 2001. Williams took the helm in June 2012. Walk into the charity’s home at 124 Westpark Road, and you’ll be greeted by a bustling operation. Not a square foot of space is left unused. Shelves are laden with blankets, diapers, clothes, DVDs, toys and a lot more.
We sat down with Williams in her crowded office recently to talk about what an operation like hers requires. This is edited and condensed.
Q: How does a charitable model like yours maintain itself? How do you begin to meet the need?
Williams: "Realistically, there is only so much used stuff that people have. And there are some donors who don't have kids or don't have grandkids, and they want to go and purchase things. So they'll go out and purchase things, they find a really good bargain, and they'll come and drop it off.
“So I think it’s always been a kind of a model where we’ve always had a mixture of new and used. There are people with big hearts who want to help in the community.”
Q: You’re pretty crowded here. Is this warehouse working for you?
Williams: "We have been at this location for six years. Originally, our first location, our first permanent location was actually in Springboro. And then we moved to a location on Far Hills (Avenue), where it was split up between a different bunch of office spaces. And then we moved here.
“Currently, it’s working for us. We’re at the point where we do need more space, because we are working with 50-plus nonprofits in the area, in four counties. So not only do we have the lack of space for the completed care packages (for children), but just really the manpower, with the 60 volunteers that we have, the increase in staff that we’ve been able to add in this past year. We have just been growing a lot.”
“We currently have one full-time (employee) — that’s myself — and three part-time, with one open position.”
Q: What are you looking for? What kind of donated goods?
Williams: "Really, anything a kid could need or want, as long as it doesn't have an expiration date. Meaning, we let the Foodbank handle all of the foodstuffs. And as long as it doesn't require its own food supply — we let SICSA (Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals) handle all of the animals. Everything else for kids we will take — clothes, diapers, car seats, equipment, bouncer seats … toys, books, just about anything.
“It’s all done through our network of agencies that we work with. They are literally like member agencies. For instance, children’s services in all four of the counties that we work with. … Children’s services work very closely with us.
“When they have a family or a child that is being placed in an emergency situation, or even if they have a family come to them who needs stuff for their child, they put in a referral request to us. And our volunteers literally become personal shoppers in our warehouse. They complete a care package — five to seven days worth of outfits, toys and books and a dental kit, and any equipment they may need. We put that all together.”
Know someone who can handle Three Questions? We're looking for behind-the-scenes-but-still fascinating Miami Valley residents with something to say. Send your suggestions to tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
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