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​246-A Center Ave, Aptos, CA 95003
Shop Telephone: 831-708-4238
​Shop Hours:  12-4 p.m.

Helpful Shop Grant Protocols
Link to application.  Please note:
  1. All information must be complete.
  2. Grants are distributed to local (Santa Cruz County) non-profits.
  3. Grants are not distributed to individuals.
  4. Grant requests must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 - NO EXCEPTIONS.
  5. Grant requests may be emailed to helpfulshop@st-john-aptos.org or mailed to:
Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist
ATTN: Helpful Shop Grants
125 Canterbury Drive
Aptos, CA 95003

​Grants will be distributed at St. John's on Helpful Shop Grants Sunday in February 2024 (date to be determined.). If awarded a grant you will be invited to attend and meet other grant recipients and volunteers from the shop.
How You Can Help:
  • To volunteer time working in the shop, please contact Elizabeth Sanchez at helpfulshop@st-john-aptos.org.
  • To donate items, please drop them off at the shop during open hours. Please do NOT leave items outside the shop when we are closed.
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.” ​​​


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A neighborhood thrift store in Aptos, just around the corner from St. John's church.
2023 Helpful Shop Grant Recipients

In 2022, the Helpful Shop generated  $44,800 in grant funds (over 1.5 times the amount we gave away in 2021, which was $28,000!), which was distributed among the following local nonprofit organizations at our Helpful Shop Grants Luncheon on Feb. 19, 2023:
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Association of Faith Communities (AFC)
Building for Generations
Daughters of the King
For the Children
For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay
Hopes Closet
Hospice of Santa Cruz County
Kairos Prison Ministry
​Kidpower Teenpower
Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services
Santa Cruz Vets - Veterans Village
Santa Cruz Vets - Meal Program
Shared Adventures
Siena House
Survivors Healing Center
Teen Kitchen Project
The Free Guide
Valley Churches United
Volunteer Center's Helping Hands Senior Home Repair 
Women CARE