It was a busy morning at the Atlantic Community Thrift Shop when WBOC showed up to surprise Karen Lesperance.
Karen is the president of the Atlantic Community Thrift Shop in Ocean View, Del., a shop that offers low-priced clothing, furniture and more, to those in need.
“I mean we do it because we love it and we’ve helped so many people and it’s great when you see people like in the grocery store that you’ve helped and now they’re on their feet,” she says.
According to Karen, every penny that comes into the shop goes right back into the Sussex County community.
“When we get enough for what we need to give, we give it and you know we give every month,” she says.
Karen says the shop donates an average of $15,000 a month to local charities. In addition to local charities, the shop donates to troops overseas, local fire companies and Indian River High School.
Karen Lesperance (Photo: WBOC)
Evelyn Tennant, a friend of Karen’s, says the Jefferson Award winner is always thinking of others.
“She wants to do for the community, she wants to help people but to ‘we’re all giving no one has this taking otherwise I don’t think we’d be here you know, ” she says.
Karen’s husband says she always put the needs of others first.
“She always wants to give everybody else credit and she needs some credit for what she does,” Lesperance says.
