St. John’s Helpful Shop
246 A Center Ave, Aptos, CA 95003
Shop Telephone: 831-708-4238
​Shop Hours: Wednesdays through Sundays, Noon-4 p.m.
Closed Monday & Tuesday.

A neighborhood thrift store in Aptos, just around the corner from St. John's church.

​PANDEMIC UPDATE: After being closed due to the Regional Stay-At-Home Order that went into effect on Dec. 22, 2020, the Helpful Shop has re-opened and been able to extend their days open to five a week.  Open hours are  Wed., Thurs., Fri. Sat & Sun. from noon to 4 p.m. Masks are required and the number of customers allowed in at a time is limited.

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No Helpful Shop Grants in 2021

Because the Helpful Shop was closed from mid-March through October of 2020 due to the pandemic, we did not generate enough income from sales to make grants to local non-profit organizations in 2021, as is our usual practice.

However, members of the church voted to continue the spirit of giving and supporting local nonprofits by donating $20,000 of the parish’s Community Project Fund (fund balance before the gift was approximately $90,000) to the Santa Cruz Community Foundation's COVID-19 Local Response Fund to address immediate and emergent needs in our community due to the pandemic. The funds in St. John's Community Project Fund were from the estate of late parishioner Jean Strong and are given in her memory.

2020 Helpful Shop Grant Recipients

The net proceeds from the operation of the Helpful Shop in 2019 were $23,000, which were distributed as grants to local non-profits in early 2020. (2019 was the first full year of operations in our new location in Aptos.)

Grant Recipients:
Big Brothers Big Sisters 
Building for Generations 
Conflict Resolution  
Elm Street Mission  
For Kids Foundation 
Helping Hands  
Hospice of Santa Cruz  
Housing Matters  
Kairos Prison Ministry 
Kidpower  
Literacy Program 
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)  
Next Stage Productions 
Project Homeless Connect  
Royal Family Kids Camp  
Shared Adventures
SPIN (Socks for People in Need)
St. John's ESL Program 
Survivors Healing Center 
Wings 
Youth N.O.W. 

About the Helpful Shop

St. John's Helpful Shop was begun in 1953 by the women of the church to raise money for a new church carpet.  As the church grew and no longer needed the income from the shop, it became a vital part of St. John’s outreach program. All net proceeds are given back to the community in the form of grants to local non-profits. 

​Faithful volunteers from the church and the community receive and resell “clean, gently used items,” in good condition, donated by parishioners and community members.  Volunteers are enthusiastic about the benefits they receive from their time at the shop.  Besides providing quality clothing and small household items at an affordable price, the volunteers provide smiles and listening ears for the many who drop in to visit and “pass the time of day.” ​​​

How You Can Help:

• To volunteer time working in the shop, please contact Diane Scofield at helpfulshop@st-john-aptos.org or 831-332-7711.
• To donate items, please drop them off at the shop during open hours.