Thrifts & Gifts Volunteer Supports Local Hospice Provider

Valdese, NC – Dianne Compton has volunteered with AMOREM’s Thrifts & Gifts store for nearly a year, but she’s been supporting hospice care much longer than that.

Over the past 25+ years, Compton has supported the hospice organizations in her local community. As a restaurant owner in Rutherfordton, she would provide a special treat to hospice patients on their birthday. Later, after the death of her mother in hospice care, she managed the thrift store that supported the hospice organization there. She also served as a volunteer.

Last year Compton started cleaning out her storage building and took about 15 wreaths she had made to donate to Thrifts & Gifts. “They loved the wreaths and asked if I would come make wreaths to sell and volunteer at Thrifts & Gifts,” says Compton. “I thought…well, why not!”

Her favorite things to do at Thrifts & Gifts are making floral arrangements, working in the shoes and clearing off the back dock. Knowing her time at Thrifts & Gifts directly supports AMOREM’s mission is very rewarding.

All of the revenue from Thrifts and Gifts goes back to support AMOREM’s mission. As a non-profit hospice provider, AMOREM provides end-of-life care to all patients and support to their families, regardless of their ability to pay.

“In the last year, AMOREM has provided more than $1.3 million of care that it was not reimbursed for,” said AMOREM’s Senior Director of Marketing and Development Kerri L. McFalls. “We are able to provide that care, regardless of if the patient has a payor source or not, because of the generous donations from donors and from the thrift store’s sales revenue.”

Are you looking for a meaningful way to give back? Volunteering at Thrifts & Gifts is more than just lending a hand, it’s about making connections, supporting your local, community hospice provider and being part of something that truly matters.

Compton’s advice to anyone considering volunteering at Thrifts & Gifts is simple: Come join us! “You get much more than you give,” she says. “It’s more of a family than a workplace. We really care about each other.”

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, now’s the perfect time to learn more! The store is actively recruiting volunteers to help with processing donations, staging the sales floor and more. Those interested in volunteering at the thrift store should contact AMOREM’s Volunteer Services department at 828.754.0101 or fill out a volunteer application online at www.amoremsupport.org.

The store, located on Main Street in Valdese, is open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Donations are accepted from 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on the same days. For larger donations, call the store at 828.874.4483 to schedule a pickup. For more information on what donations are accepted, check out the thrifts store’s Facebook page or give the store a call.

AMOREM is the result of the 2021 merger of two like-minded, respected and well-established North Carolina organizations—Burke Hospice and Palliative Care and Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care—to maintain the legacy of community-based hospice care.