Typhoons and Thefts Can’t Stop the Mission

Typhoons and Thefts Can’t Stop the Mission

Burglars broke into The Salvation Army Family Thrift Store in Guam during the Typhoon Bavi lockdown. Store manager Doris Young chooses to show up every day to serve her community.

Typhoon Bavi put Guam under lockdown on July 6, and sometime during that lockdown, burglars broke into The Salvation Army Family Thrift Store in Tamuning. They cut a hole through the metal siding on the side of the building and made off with some cash and some valuable donated watches.

Between storm debris outside the building and whatever the break-in stirred up, it was hard to tell what came from which.

Doris says she’s proud that the main purpose of the Thrift Store is to serve members of the community who need it most. All proceeds go toward funding The Salvation Army Guam Corps’ vital programs year round that help families through food insecurity, homelessness, and substance use disorders.

A volunteer who found her calling

Doris, 72, said retirement never suited her. Following a dedicated career in civil service, she started volunteering at the Thrift Store to stay active, sorting and pricing donations in her spare time. It didn’t take long for The Salvation Army officer to notice her eye for value and desire to create efficiency.

That was nine years ago. Since then, the store has moved locations twice, each one bigger than the last, and Doris, now store manager, has trained the staff who now run it alongside her.

Doris and her staff diligently worked for a week without power to prep the Thrift Store for reopening after Typhoon Bavi. From left to right: Kaylani Punzalan, Ruthina Jally, Katrina Ueno, Doris Young, Kyle Pablo, and Peter Luzano.

Where the donations go

It’s easy to think of The Salvation Army as just a thrift store. On Guam, The Salvation Army is Guma’ Lalahi and Guma’ Famalao’an, the Lighthouse Recovery Centers for men and women, offering residential treatment for people working to rebuild their lives in recovery. It’s the Family Services Center at the Guam Corps, where community members in need can request vouchers to shop for clothing and household essentials. Revenue from every bag of donated clothing, every piece of furniture, every collectible that catches a shopper’s eye, helps fund that work.

Doris has a simple way of thinking about pricing. Some shoppers come in for what they want: collectibles, designer clothing and handbags, vintage finds. Others come in for what they need. She prices for both, so the store can raise money for its programs and still keep the essentials within reach.

The Family Thrift Store in Tamuning has something for everyone.

A store that draws its own crowd

The store has become something of a local landmark for visitors. Tourists from Japan, Korea, and China regularly stop in looking for vintage American goods, comic books, and dishware you won’t find anywhere else on the island. One customer flies in from Korea specifically to search the shelves for comic books. A Japanese production crew has filmed there twice.

Fairly often, Doris runs into someone she used to work with during her government days. Those old connections have come in handy. When the store moved into its current, much larger space, a local retail partner stepped up to donate shelving and countertops. She says that’s just how it works on a small island. You know people, and people show up for you and especially for a mission that makes a difference.

Weathering the storms

Since April, the Mariana Islands have endured two super typhoons back to back. The flooding and wind damage have disrupted nearly every part of daily life, especially in communities still recovering from Typhoon Mawar in 2023. Doris said while the Thrift Store warehouse building has held up remarkably well through these destructive storms, people are weary, and she believes it’s important for her team to help the community feel a sense of normalcy in the midst of the challenges.

The break-in happened during the Bavi lockdown, while the store sat empty and the power was still out. Repairs were made quickly, and Doris invited her staff back after the all-clear, to clean up and get the store ready to reopen the moment the lights come back on.

The Salvation Army shield hangs proudly on the Thrift Store warehouse.

Here to serve

Doris may never know the motivation for or the extent of the property damaged or stolen from the break-in during Typhoon Bavi. What she wants people to know instead is simpler: The Salvation Army is here to serve, and that door is open to anyone.

It’s a belief she carries into every part of the job, the sense that The Salvation Army’s reach on Guam extends far beyond the Thrift Store’s shelves. Most people, she says, have been touched by it in some way, and she likes sharing this part of the organization’s mission with customers who come into the store.

Power was restored one week after the storm passed over Guam, and the Thrift Store reopened the following day. Doris and her team had already spent the week cleaning, sorting, and pricing, ready for the next family who walked through the door.