Bluffton store and University Women’s Circle group help Hope House

Great things can happen when people come together to help people within their own community get back on their feet. During the month of March, Ten Thousand Villages in Bluffton, along with Bluffton University’s Women’s Circle group, collected eight large bags full of professional clothing for Hope House, women’s housing service in Findlay.

The clothing drive was inspired by International Women’s Day (March 8) and the students and community members who donated were given a 20% off one item coupon as a thank you. Professional tops, pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, bags, and accessories were collected, with the 115 S. Main Street store serving as the drop-off location.

The idea came from Meg Short, intern at the Bluffton location and a senior at Bluffton University. “We wanted to partner with a local women’s shelter so that our international support of women could come full circle as we support those with immediate need in our local area,” she said. “Hopefully the women who receive this clothing are empowered as they continue their job searches.”

The clothing drive ran in conjunction with in-store deals and displays celebrating women artisans around the world with items made by women, for women. Many of Ten Thousand Villages’ artisans are women who found themselves in undignified positions of labor before joining the organizations that gave them a fair wage for their handmade works.

Hope House is a provider of housing services for the homeless in Hancock County. They have been working to alleviate Northwest Ohio from poverty since 1990, and began in response to a need for a shelter for women and children, specifically. Sue Lehman, Director of Hope House, received the donation on April 15 and now are able to distribute items to the women they support.

For more information on Hope House, visit FindlayHopeHouse.org. For more information about Ten Thousand Villages, please contact Peggy Brown, store manager, at (419) 358-7233 or visit

Facebook.com/BlufftonTenThousandVillages.  Ten Thousand Villages is open Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-3.