Thrift shop offers base Airmen $100 a quarter

  • Published
  • By Sheila Rupp
  • Nucleus journalist
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The thrift shop here is offering even more than the usual bargains these days for young Airmen and their families.

The newly enacted Airmen Assistance Program is a program that will aid Airmen and their families who may be in need of clothing and household necessities.

"The management team at the thrift shop came up with the idea of the Airmen Assistance Program to help fulfill the needs of our local Airmen and their families and we began this program with the hopes that it would be assistance in addition to the services offered by the Airman's Attic," said thrift shop assistant manager Angela Nawrocki.

The Airmen Assistance Program gives Airmen, E-4 and below, and their spouses a $100 credit per quarter to shop at the thrift shop. The quarters run January through March, April through June, July through September and October through December. The $100 credit does not need to be spent all in one visit but leftover monies are not carried over to the next quarter.

The $100 credit can be used to buy clothing and other household goods that are thrift shop property.

Airmen will also be able to purchase furniture and items that are priced over $20 once they have been on the thrift shop floor and available to the general public for 30 days.

If the Airmen is interested in an item before the 30 days has expired, their name can be added to a waiting list and if the item has not sold by the end of the 30 days then the item becomes available for the Airmen Assistance Program.

The first name on the waiting list will be contacted to come purchase the item if they desire.

The thrift shop is run by the Kirtland Officers' Spouses' Club and all profits go to charitable causes in the Kirtland community, as well as in the local community. The KOSC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that raises funds for charitable, educational and welfare projects, as well as awarding college scholarships to military dependents.

"Any way that we can help out the Kirtland community and the local community, we will," said KOSC president Stephanie Kurtz about the KOSC.

Thrift shop management offers a tip to shoppers to make their credit go even further. The last week of each month, the thrift shop marks down all items that are tagged with a certain color to 50 cents each.

Thrift shop management can also award additional credit for special circumstances such as change in marital status, the birth of a child, fire and theft.

Eligible Airmen should have their commander or first sergeant send an e-mail to the manager of the thrift shop at kirtland.thriftshop@kirtland.af.mil. Airmen or their spouses must also speak with management once they arrive to shop.

The thrift shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and the second Saturday of the month from 10-2 p.m. and Thursdays from 2-7 p.m.

The thrift shop is located in the Rio Grande Conference Center at the intersection of F Avenue and Texas Street. Questions about the Airmen Assistance Program should be addressed to the thrift shop at 505-853-6927.