MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Volunteers donate hours sorting goods, pricing items and stocking shelves at the Miramar Thrift Store, located at 6275 Bauer Road near the station Uniform Shop.

Donating their services for up to 20 hours a week, thrift store volunteers keep stock of donated merchandise, assist customers and help earn nearly $140,000 a year for the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society.

“The more volunteers we have, the more donations we can process, the more we can get out into the store.” said Roberta Garvin, thrift store chairman. “We would love to open more often. We would love to be open longer during the week and on Saturdays.

“Unfortunately we do not have enough volunteers to do that, continued Garvin. “We can only expand those hours based on how many volunteers we have.”

The Thrift Store collects donated goods and then sells them at a discounted price. Volunteers are encouraged to work in an area of their expertise, helping to decide the value of the donations and assisting customers with their purchase needs.

Some of the funds generated from sales are used to reimburse volunteers for travel and child care expenses incurred during their volunteer times.

This perk makes the service an ideal opportunity for a stay-at-home mom who needs time away from home or a retiree who wants to spend time with the military community, according to Garvin.

A former Navy sailor, Garvin was turned on to the volunteer program at a Budget for Baby class where she learned of child care reimbursement for the hours she volunteered.

Now, as a stay at home mom, Garvin has volunteered at the thrift store for two years and usually volunteers two or three days a week.

“It gives my daughter an opportunity to play with other kids; it gives me a chance to go play with other adults,” said Garvin. “I think it’s a great opportunity to meet people and have fun, but also be productive while doing it.”

A current shortage of volunteers makes it difficult for the store to maintain all of the donations brought in, and donations that cannot be sorted are sent away to other charities, according to Garvin.

The thrift store has no set limitations to the number of volunteers they will accept and “an hour of time is fine, there’s no limit to how long you stay,” Garvin said.

Volunteer hours are available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Thrift Shop is not open during weekends or holidays.

To volunteer at the thrift store, contact the main office at 858-577-1807 or 858-271-4633.