Village Second Chance Shops Donate Nearly $900,000 to Help Local Families
Support from shoppers and volunteers creates lasting change for people in need
Hartford, Conn. Thanks to the patronage of shoppers across Greater Hartford and the dedication and generosity of volunteers, The Village for Families & Children’s four Second Chance Shops—in Glastonbury, Simsbury, Suffield and West Hartford—have donated a combined, record-breaking $892,000 to support Village services that help youth, adults and families avoid and overcome trauma.
For more than 70 years, the Second Chance Shops have supported The Village's mission by selling new and gently used clothing, accessories, antiques, toys and household items.
The shops are run and managed entirely by volunteers, and all proceeds help support The Village’s broad range of services for children, adults and families, including behavioral health services, basic needs support, family strengthening, financial coaching, addiction recovery and more.
The Second Chance Shops each presented their grand total raised in the last fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) to Village President & CEO Hector Glynn this summer. This year’s grand total also reflects special personal donations that Auxilians made to support The Village, on top of their day-to-day work within the shops.
“The incredible individuals who run our Second Chance Shops are an instrumental part of our efforts to innovate in order to address our state’s mental health crisis,” Glynn said. “Our Auxilians’ generosity and dedication, as well the support of shoppers, makes a major difference for the thousands of people we serve each year.”
In addition to supporting The Village, The Shops provide an outlet to give new and gently used clothing a second life and provide affordable, high-quality clothing options. In their more than 70 years in operation, proceeds from the Second Chance Shops have brought in more than $10 million to support The Village.
The Glastonbury Second Chance Shop has been temporarily closed while it moves to a new location and is anticipated to reopen in the coming months. Donations of new or gently used clothing are accepted during each of the other three shop’s normal business hours.
“Our mission is to support The Village, but another highlight is the sustainability of clothing,” said a leader representing the Second Chance Shops. “We take beautiful clothes that we get as donations and put them out there for resale at very affordable prices so that anybody can come in and put together a great outfit—keeping it out of the landfill, making the customer happy and providing great support to The Village.”
To hear more from the Auxilians—or learn about hours and locations—visit thevillage.org/shops.
Contact:
Sarah Heath, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications,
The Village for Families & Children (c) 860-751-4179, sheath@thevillage.org
About The Village
The Village for Families & Children was one of the first agencies in the country to provide homes for neglected children. Today, The Village provides a full range of behavioral health, early and childhood youth development, substance abuse treatment, and support services for children, families and adults in the Greater Hartford region. Learn more at thevillage.org.