New location, same mission!
Angels of Long Island, led by their fearless leader Debbie Loesch, who has been highlighted a time or two here in The Messenger, has moved locations. They are now happily doing their good works, helping so many, from within the Bellport Outlets at 10 Farber Drive, Bellport.
Under Debbie’s wise guidance, her board members knew it was time to make a very difficult decision. It was time to move – a smart decision, yet an unbelievably daunting task.
Imagine a mostly volunteer-run organization that has been the home of the 5600-square-foot thrift store on Main Street in Patchogue for 10 years, and as you glance around at the thousands and thousands of items, you think, “Yeah, let’s move.” Where do you even start?
Debbie and her main sidekicks, her mom, Marie Loesch, 86, Patricia Peterson, and Brittany Loesch, her daughter form the powerhouse team that, in the end, sells all that stuff to serve a much greater good. The Messenger, having been a supporter of Angels for many, many years, has referred to it as “the thrift that keeps on giving.” Simply put, it gives a second chance for a useful life for many items that could otherwise end up in a landfill – perfectly good stuff just in need of a new home.
The items are donated, so Angels gets them for free and then sell those things at very reasonable prices. For people who need to stretch a dollar or just like a great bargain, Angels is a not-for-profit and their main mission is to help those in need leaving a crisis situation. They assist those leaving domestic violence situations, those who are moving from a homeless shelter to an apartment, or victims of house fires, to the more common needs of winter coats, school supplies, and food pantries for the many community members struggling to make ends meet. They help people in a few different ways, upon going through an application process those people can come in and shop and get what they need for free.
True to form, Angels has built up an amazing army of supporters. Having witnessed so much good work over the years people just offer to help, one major supporter for many years and who helps in such big ways is Global Restoration owned by Ken and Amanda Calderone, a company that comes in after the fires and floods to help homeowners get back on their feet. As Debbie was pondering how to move a warehouse worth of individual items, Ken and Amanda stepped in, again, without hesitation, and said, “We will use our trucks.”
Global has quite a few very large trucks and the Calderones paid their team of workers to help out with the move. He even found extra people who needed work and paid them to help out. Other family members, Jeanie, Bruce, and Paul Loesch of Outback Portable Toilets, showed up with their commercial flatbeds and put the many clothing racks – clothes still hanging on them – and drove them over to Bellport. The people over at the Lucille Bronson Foundation played a large part in their continued support of Angels, as well as Michelle Cavalieri of South Shore Counseling.
An entire month of moving, just people helping people.
Debbie is very grateful for the 10 years at the Patchogue location. So many people joined their cause and supported them over the years by donating items and shopping there. So many people received help. Debbie is hoping that the support continues at the Bellport location. It’s easy to drop off donations in the back and a great shopping experience in the store. Oftentimes, you will be greeted by the always smiling Patricia and Marie at the register.
Worth mentioning is that this retail location does not allow for the food pantry, so C4 Church located at 1563 Montauk Highway in Bellport right next to Lighthouse Mission stepped up to house that.
Join a great cause – help others by allowing your no longer wanted items to move on to their next chapter while helping a neighbor in their moment of need do the same.
The Messenger would like to add a suggestion as to how we can all help. Donate your stuff, yes, but also shop there in a way that does double duty. Want to bless kids with school supplies and winter coats? Purchase those coats and backpacks from Angels, then donate them to their collections. It becomes the thrift that keeps on giving!
