SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - From the outside, the Assistance League Bargain Box on First and University may look like an ordinary thrift shop, but it's what's inside that counts.
"This is a thrift shop, but it's an upscale thrift shop, because everything in here is lovely and nice and neat," Marilyn Mitchell said. "We carry everything. We have furniture, we have household goods. We have books, we have clothes for women, men, children."
The Bargain Box has a host of thrifty shoppers.
"The prices are so good and once people figure out how much they can save by shopping here, they come in all the time," Marilyn said.
Right now they're geared up for Halloween. Everything that gets sold out front helps pay for what goes on in the back room at Operation School Bell.
"We clothed about 2,000 children last year just within our area," Operation School Bell co-chair Sally Greenfeld said.
Operation School Bell provides free uniforms for school children who are on free lunch or assisted lunch programs.
"We size everything up. We want them to fit after two washings," Marilyn said.
Everything from jumpers to shorts, and to pants and shirts.
"We give hoodies to everyone also. They are all brand new, which is really nice. We also provide five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, a hygiene kit and also a school kit.
"It's an amazing feeling to see the smiles that we get from the students, the thank yous, and when we have parents we get a lot of thank yous and smiles from the parents," Marilyn said.
All the joy that emanates from the back of the Assistance League thrift shop makes everything out front a lot more fun.
