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KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESSAlpha Resource Center plans to move its donation center next week to the former Sears auto building at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara.
The Alpha Resource Center of Santa Barbara will move its donation center next week to the former Sears auto building at La Cumbre Plaza.
The current donation center is an outdoor tent on the nonprofit’s main campus at 4501 Cathedral Oaks Road in Santa Barbara.
The center supplies ARC’s two thrift stores at 5624 Hollister Ave. in Goleta and 700 N. Milpas St. in Santa Barbara. All of the proceeds from the stores’ sales support ARC programs, which serve individuals who have physical and mental disabilities.
An ARC representative explained the problems with the outdoor tent that serves as the donation center’s current site.
“The environment isn’t the best because of the weather,” Caleb Nerstad, senior operations manager for ARC, told the News-Press. “It’s difficult to get people in and out. We don’t have very much warehouse space.”
He said the former Sears building will prove to be a better environment. “It’ll be flat with concrete, and we can direct donors in and out.”
“It is 6,200 square feet with easier access,” Mr. Nerstad said.
“The auto center is large and has plenty of space inside. I was able to get in and look around and felt like we could set it up. Everything worked out with the owners. We signed a six-year contract lease.
“It is a more hospitable environment with three entrances to the upper level,” he said.
Mr. Nerdstad explained the need for a donation center at a different location than the thrift shops.
“Previously we were taking donations at the two thrift shops, so people would donate items there. The parking lots at both stores were too small with people coming and going and trying to shop,” he said.
So ARC created the donation center.
“It made a lot of sense to get donors away from parking lots at the two shops,” Mr. Nerdstad said. “Donors come here, and that helps the two stores.
“It has worked really well. We have more products. I had to stop donations three months in the last year because we had too much.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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