Thrift shopping is more than uncovering the perfect blouse, rug or lounge chair you’ve been dying to get your hands on at affordable prices. As many of us know, thrifting is a great, practical way to help reduce waste and carbon emissions that the “fast fashion” industry produces.
Knowing this to be true, Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue (PPAR), a Cincinnati-based nonprofit pet adoption and foster agency, has made thrifting the backbone of its mission since 2006.
Located at 8454 Beechmont Avenue, PPAR is a thrift and gift shop that receives donations from people around the Cincinnati area.
Every penny made at the Peppermint Pig Thrift & Gift goes directly towards paying for the veterinary care for the dozens of animals in their care at any given time.
PPAR does not have a physical shelter that houses its animals that are up for adoption. Instead, the animals are in foster homes of volunteers who have given their time to care for them.
Volunteers make up PPAR’s entire staff, even the board, with each one committed to making a difference in the life of the animals up for adoption.
“We are so lucky,” Melissa Craver, volunteer at PPAR, tells CityBeat. “These other rescues have to rely on private donations — that would be so scary. We are so blessed with the donations. We have people that have been so loyal to us through all these years [who] will come and donate.”
Contributing to this agency is easy. If you are unable to foster or adopt, donate your used items and shop at their thrift and gift store.
The shop accepts clothing items, books, musical instruments, baseball cards, jewelry and more. Donations range from ordinary to incredible. Craver has seen it all, and she says that the thrift shop has received enormous collections of antique Hummel figurines and Funko Pop figurines before.
“Once, a man donated his huge collection of Hawaiian shirts,” says Craver. “Those were put out on a Saturday and sold out in the four hours we were open.”
PPAR’s website provides a list of available animals up for adoption as well as the organization's requirements that new pet-parents must meet.
The dogs that are fostered by PPAR volunteers come off euthanasia lists from shelters in Ohio and Kentucky. PPAR also works with the ASPCA and Clermont County Animal Rescue.
When visiting the thrift and gift shop, visitors may also see a few cats lurking around, even though PPAR is currently a dog-only rescue. These feline residents have made the thrift shop their permanent home, and PPAR volunteers care for them each day.
Stay updated on their Facebook page for different adoption events that are held at the thrift and gift store. At these events, potential adopters will get the chance to meet the animals in need of a home.
For more info, visit peppermintpiganimalrescue.org.
