Local thrift store provides “life changing” resources for veterans in need

By James Kmosko

L.O.V. (Love Our Veterans) Thrift Store, a local charity, is providing support and resources to veterans in need through the sale of the store’s secondhand merchandise.

The 501c3 nonprofit was founded by Kevin Popko and his wife Gini. After serving in the US Marine Corps as a scout sniper in the 1990s, Kevin spent twenty years in lucrative sales positions. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world.

“When Covid hit, [there were] supply chain issues, and they started doing layoffs,” Kevin said. “I was one of them. So I'm sitting around, no job, plenty of time on my hands. I started volunteering at the local Christian Ministry right down the street in between interviews and doing resumes.”

Kevin’s time at East Lincoln Christian Ministries (ELCM), a non-profit based near the Rock Springs Campground, led to the idea of founding a ministry of his own.

“My wife and mom, on separate occasions, said, ‘You love what you're doing at Christian Ministries. Why don't you start your own charity for veterans?’ Light bulb goes off.”

In the following months, Kevin and Gini committed themselves to the launch of L.O.V. Thrift Store. They secured a storefront in the shopping center at the intersection of NC-150 and NC-16, near Untouchables Pizza, and officially opened the store in July of 2022.

“When I left Christian Ministry to start this, I was scared they'd [say], ‘Man, we taught him everything he knows, and now he's gonna go be a competitor,’” Kevin said. “So I went to the boss, Rick. I told him the plan. [He said], ‘Kevin, there can never be too many of us. We're all doing God's work.’”

Today, the thrift store thrives on donations from the community. Local support has allowed the store to expand both its physical footprint and its charitable footprint.

“We started out with 4000 square feet when we first opened, and now we're at 8500 square feet,” Kevin said. “Our original goal was [to help] one veteran per month, now we're up to two or three a month.”

Kevin and Gini have also expanded the services that they provide to veterans.

“We've gone beyond just paying a mortgage payment here and there now. It's real life changing stuff, helping people find homes, job placement, transportation. We donated three vehicles.”

Some veterans need significant assistance. This was the case with Donald, a veteran of the Vietnam War.

“He lost his mother and his son within two years of each other,” Kevin said. “He was getting all their [money from] disability and Social Security, so the three of them could afford his childhood home that he was living in and was built when he was five. He lost their income, and suddenly he was stuck with debt. He couldn't keep up.”

Donald’s home was over seventy years old. Without his family to pay for and maintain it, it fell into disrepair.

“We paid off his mortgage, paid off his car, paid his son's $5,000 funeral expense he owed,” Kevin said. “[His house was] falling apart in front of him, the roof was caving in. It was a mess. So we partnered with Purple Heart Homes, and ultimately tore down his old house and built him a brand new house.”

L.O.V. focuses on providing services in the immediate community, but any veteran in the Lake Norman area is eligible to seek assistance.

“Primarily, we're focused on Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, North Mecklenburg. Any counties that touch the lake, but we're not strict on that,” Kevin said. “We've helped plenty of people from Gaston County, now in Cabarrus County. We never want to be national. We like the mom-and-pop feel of the local community. People know us.”

Nearly all of the money shoppers spend at L.O.V. goes to providing assistance to veterans or to keep the charity running.

“I can tell you 100% of profit goes to help veterans.” Kevin said. "So that means all the revenue we bring in from the store, minus operating expenses. Of course, the landlord, then you have Spectrum, Duke, the trash guy, you have liability insurance. I make a small salary out of that to provide food for my family. Otherwise, everyone else at this place that helps us are 100% volunteers.”

Volunteers at L.O.V. are members of the local community. Some are scheduled employees, others volunteer on a less formal basis.

“We need more volunteers,” Gini said. “We have seven that are here on a weekly basis. I've got a couple that will just pop in and be like, ‘Hey, I got some time.’”

Through the efforts of the staff and volunteers, L.O.V. has provided assistance to 93 veterans since the charity opened its doors.

“We hope to have helped 100 veterans by Veterans Day,” Kevin said. “It's our plan.”

Though Kevin and Gini say their goal is to help every veteran they can, there are rare occasions in which veterans do not qualify.

“I think we've only had to turn three away that didn't qualify for whatever reasons,” Kevin said. “We call it a hand-up [instead of] a handout. You're a veteran, and you deserve help if you need it. All deserving, qualified veterans will receive assistance as best as [we have the ability].”

Accepting and sorting donations, pricing and selling the merchandise, and vetting and assisting the veterans is a full time job for Kevin and Gini. But according to the Popkos, the effort is well worth it.

“We got so many follow up emails [saying], ‘I can't thank you enough, it’s life changing,’” Kevin said. “Even voicemails where they're crying.”

L.O.V.’s impact goes beyond just financial support.

“It feels great to help the veterans, but we're not just helping them financially,” Gini said. “Ninety percent of them, we're helping mentally too. They know that there's people out there that care about them, because we make it clear, it's not us doing this, it's the community. We're just the facilitators. We're just the people that came up with the idea. But the community, from their donations, from shopping, they're making it all possible.”

If you are a veteran in need of assistance, visit L.O.V.’s website at www.loveourveteransinc.com to apply. Information on donating and volunteering can be found at the same website or at their storefront in the heart of Chronicle.