The Portage Resale Shop may have a new location (6450 Evergreen Ave.), but the man who has led the charity charge since 2008 remains focused on the shop's mission.
"Our mission is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and take in a stranger," said Brandon Miller, executive director of the Resale Shop. "The shop was established for compassion."
And it's the compassion that drives Miller, a Portage native who sometimes spends more than 50 hours a week working as the shop's only employee.
"We are like Robin Hood, but legal," Miller said. "We take donations, clean them and store them. We give away a good portion of what we have. We do sell things to help us pay the bills, but many things are given away through different agencies so people in basic need of household items can get them."
A 1997 graduate of Portage High School, Miller went to college to "not ever have to work in a steel mill," but somehow ended up as a mill supplier until the economy took a hit six years ago.
"Anyone with higher education was laid off," Miller said.
After losing his job, Miller immediately began volunteering at the Portage Resale Shop, and one year later was named the executive director. Although only contracted to work part-time, Miller donates much of his spare time to the shop's cause.
"It is an amazing organization to lead and be a part of," he said, noting that 30 or so volunteers sometimes put in a combined 900 hours a month to ensure things run smoothly.
"We do not get reimbursed for the things we give to people," Miller said. "We do it out of service. Our goal is to keep the family unit going as long as we can. We try to meet as many needs of the community as possible."
Grants from organizations such as the Porter County Community Foundation and the John W. Anderson Foundation help keep the shop afloat, Miller said. Their new location on Evergreen Ave. (just north of the intersection of Airport and Central) was a major donation from the Portage Christian Fellowship, who gave the shop their building after merging with another church.
Miller says he has hopes of having other organizations move in to the property in the near future.
"We have five acres of land," he said. "We've been in discussion with the Mayor on making this a cooling center in the summer, so in case of an emergency, we are ready."
Miller's service to the community he calls home has not been limited to his occupation, however. He has also been involved with the Kiwanis Club and Crossroads Community Church as well.
But making things run at the resale shop is something Miller says he would like to do for years to come.
"I would like to try to make a difference in as many loves as possible," he said. "This is a great avenue for that. The pay is not great, but my worst day here is better than any day I had when I was a mill supplier.
"When you give a coat to somebody who was cold, or put shoes on the feet of a child, nothing else matters. This gives you a real good perspective."
Donations at the Resale Shop are always encouraged.
"The big thing is clothing," Miller said. "We have coat distribution day November 9 and will probably need to give away 2,000 coats this winter."