Milly Thrift Turns Castoffs into Cash for Charity

Eliminating waste is a big deal at Millbrook School. Students and faculty lead various initiatives to reduce refuse—from the annual Route 44 Food Fight that reduces food waste to operating Milly Thrift, which gives unwanted clothing and dorm room detritus second lives.

The proceeds from the thriving second-hand store go to Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, helping the organization feed needy families in upstate New York.

Milly Thrift’s latest donation totaled $2,500, and the store has raised around $5,000 since opening in 2020. Math Department Chair Martha Clizbe, who runs the store with the help of students in the Milly Thrift community service group, said the donations may increase, thanks to the store’s recent move.

Once located on the western frontier of campus in Koenigsberger Hall, Milly Thrift moved to a more central location in the basement of Abbott Hall this semester. The relocation has facilitated an uptick in customers.

In addition to providing gently used items for cheap, Milly Thrift and its proprietors are responsibly stewarding natural resources by offering an alternative to supporting the creation of new products. That’s the main reason Clizbe is so passionate about the project:

“Milly Thrift is my happy place. It blends a myriad of qualities that are both important to me and bring me joy,” she explained. “I love thrifting and repurposing items and hate things going to waste. I fear the number of things we put in our landfills, and I shudder at fast fashion and the number of packages from Amazon that are delivered to campus daily.”

She also noted that Milly Thrift teaches students the value of getting hands-on to contribute to their community, as they participate in service that’s “a little dirty, a little sweaty, and purposeful.”

So, anyone with a few dollars in their pocket or a Venmo account can—and should—visit Milly Thrift on the regular to support its meaningful mission.