This article is brought to you by The Bryan Times
By Max Reinhart mreinhart@bryantimes.com
Jun 12, 2022
See & Do Club Director Nicole Harriger organizes a clothing display at the store on Depot Street, adjacent to the railroad track in Montpelier.
Photo by Max Reinhart
With inflation soaring and the cost of food and goods rising in the U.S., it’s harder for many families to stretch their dollars as far as they used to.
That’s why See & Do Club in Montpelier has an important message for the community:
We’re still here, just like we have been for the past 65 years.
By showing an ID from the Williams County area, See & Do patrons can obtain needed clothing and household items on a weekly basis. Leaders with the non-profit said that for some items, a donation may be needed, but generally items are available free of charge.
The building was closed in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in the U.S., but reopened that August. Director Nicole Harriger noted the organization continues to follow all health department recommendations.
“We still get a lot of people who say, ‘I didn’t know you were open,’ or they don’t know which hours and days we’re open,” Harringer said.
The store, located at 220 Depot St., just north of the railroad tracks, is open to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Besides shoes and clothing, the large building contains a wide array of household items.
“If you’ve got a child going away to college or something we’ve got things they may need, dishes, towels — everything except furniture,” said Gloria Gilcher, one of several dedicated members of the organization’s board.
See & Do also does special giveaways for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as “black bag” giveaways twice annually, allowing volunteers to refreshen the store for the following season.
The organization is funded through donations from patrons, churches, businesses, local clubs, memorials and grants from the Montpelier Area Foundation. These funds allow the trustees to update flooring, windows, doors and the heating system.
In the past, the club has also hosted pulled pork fundraisers and is preparing for another type of fund drive later this year.
Among the repairs and renovations eyed for the future are painting the soffit, improving the parking lot and entrance sign and, ultimately, new roofing.
The club itself began as a vision of Dorothy Steinke, an area resident and owner of the local Dot’s Diner, who in 1957 began delivering toys, clothing, food and furniture to families in need. These items were at first housed in her garage until Steinke founded the See & Do Club in January 1962.
The club was housed in various locations around town until permanently taking up residency on Depot Street, in the building that was once the railroad superintendent’s office.
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