Thrift Connection

The Arc of Larimer County is able to provide free advocacy services and workshops thanks to our generous donors and thanks to support from the Arc Thrift stores. You can “Achieve with Us” by donating gently used clothing and household items to Arc Thrift or by shopping at Arc Thrift.

We are just one of several chapters of The Arc in Colorado to be funded by the Arc Thrift Store.  If you need more information about the thrift stores or if you have questions about donations of household items, please contact the thrift store directly at www.arcthrift.org or call 1-800-283-2721.

Thanks for your past, present and future donations!

Volunteer at arc Thrift Stores

Volunteers are very important to arc Thrift Stores’ ability to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in your community. Volunteering with arc is fun, rewarding and convenient. If you would like to volunteer at a arc Thrift store, please call the store you would like to volunteer with.

History

In the early 1960s, newly formed chapters of The Arc in the Denver metro area relied on many small fundraisers like bake sales and bingo nights to generate funding for our programs. Recognizing that a coordinated effort between the local chapters could be more effective, the MARC was formed in 1963 as a separate nonprofit organization.
A few years after their formation, one of the board members of The Arc – Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties attended a training in California where he observed a thrift store operation, which he thought could be successful here. This board member brought the idea back to the MARC and one short year later, in 1968, the first arc Thrift Store (then called Value Village) opened in Denver.

Since these humble beginnings, arc Thrift has provided millions of dollars of mission-critical funding to chapters of The Arc in Colorado, allowing us to collectively advocate for countless people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.