RAPS Volunteer of the Month – January 2019

Meet Ian Dewar McPherson, RAPS Thrift Store

Ian has been volunteering at the RAPS Thrift Store for a year.

“I work Mondays through Thursdays for my dad’s landscaping business,” he says. The work includes mowing lawns, gardening and pruning. Though he enjoys his Monday to Thursday job, he says he is even happier on Fridays, when he volunteers for RAPS.

“As a Christian, community involvement is beneficial to my faith as we Christians are to serve others and reach out to non-Christian-believers in our community,” he says.

He is a fan of thrift shopping.

“It’s good for the planet,” he says. “This benefit excites me the most. As Christians, we are also supposed to care for God’s earth. Buying new stuff from retail shopping means natural resources get used. Thrift shopping saves the natural resources that need to be used for making new stuff.”

The fact that items are cheaper than retail and that revenue is invested in improving the community and saving the lives of animals are other reasons Ian says people should shop at the Thrift Stores.

“I have told all my community friends about the Thrift Store,” he says. “I look forward to many more Fridays ahead of volunteering at the store!”

Not only does Ian work every Friday, but when he has time off from his regular job, he always comes in – and when there’s a shortage of volunteers, he’s always a reliable pinch hitter!