MT. VERNON, Ill. (WSIL) -- A thrift shop that helps the homeless is set to receive a donation to fix its building and possibly expand it.
A Kingdom of Treasures opened in August 2020 and moved to its current location in October that year. The store inside sells items like clothes and books with all proceeds going to help the homeless.
Also inside is a shower for the homeless to bathe and a room where they can get their haircut. Homeless residents or those who just got out of jail can come to the building and use those services if they're in need, says founder Dale Vaughn.
Vaughn says the shop will receive a $1,500 donation next month to help combat homelessness. Vaughn says that will go into installing insulation in parts of the building.
"Our warehouse is where our resale shop is and it's very porous so we really need to do some insulating in there to make it more shopper friendly," Vaughn said.
The money will also go into a potential expansion project, Vaughn says. The group applied to become a food distrubtion center but their application is still processing.
"The big warehouse is going to be the next crucial point because then we're going to put in a kitchen where we can actually feed people," Vaughn said.
The Elks Lodge in Mt. Vernon will donate the check to the group next month.