I love St. Vinnies. I donate to the SR 23 location, they will come and pick up a larger for you as…read morewell. I have picked up extra street hockey sticks and baseball mitts for my soms friends to use when they come over... St Vinnies actually cleans stuff before they put it out for sale, and the prices are great. The SR 23 location has a drop off shed in the parking lot, or if you want a receipt for tax purposes...pull around behind pet supplies plus and ring the doorbell on the loading dock. Someone will promptly help you.

Boy, whatta Gyp! This place charges as much for used stuff as Target does for new! I am not…read morekidding.If this is the place over by Martins on 23 and Ironwood, they are bold faced gougers! 300 yards away is a Salvation Army store that has much better stuff at much lower prices! And you can haggle a bit! I remember the old spot of Vinnies, when they were on Sample St., before they moved, now that spot was the place! I remember buying a Sax 5th Ave. shirt there for .29 cents! What the hell happened?!? Supposed to be used stuff for the poor/economically challened, but this place is a cutthrout profitteer! Kinda like the Notre Dame old to gold thing, where you now have to pay to buy old sh*t.Non profit my ass. Shame on you St. Vincent De Paul Society, for being such hypocritical greedheads! Shame Shame Shame!

An absolutely magical place -- everything in the store is fair-trade, handcrafted by artists from…read morearound the world. There's everything from stationery to home decor to apparel and jewelry. Aside from being incredibly beautiful goods, it's also like taking a world tour, as you can learn about the regions where things are made and produced. They always have fair trade coffee and chocolate samples out. The store is primarily run by volunteers who are knowledgeable and helpful. We moved from the area two years ago and this is still a frequent stop when we're back in town visiting family.

This cute little shop is run by volunteers who support the mission of helping artisans in third…read moreworld countries. You can find anything for anyone at this gem, and they get new items all the time. Price points for every budget and you will learn a lot by shopping here!

St. Margaret's house has been a safe haven for needy families for years. It's a nonprofit Christian…read morebased organization that caters to serving needy families in the local area. St.Margarets house is a place of refuge verses being a shelter. Where woman and their children can go to receive services: counciling, clothes, warm meals and other needed resources to enhance their quality of life. They also host and participate in community events geared towards their cause. St.Margaret's house also accepts a variety of donations from whoever has a willing heart to give. I usually donate any unneeded belongings that I have to them knowing someone will benefit. They are a very useful resource to the community and whether you're a woman in need or have items to donate it's a nice place to go.

This place is a hidden gem in the South Bend area! They have 150+ acres of land that is meant for…read moreconservation. I went to the Corn and Sausage brew fest there the 2nd weekend in August. It is a blast. They had Shock Roxy band playing and 50/50, black jack tables and a rullet wheel. Bags boards and beer pong. All you can eat corn and a full bar and sausage to purchase. They even had some local breweries there like South Bend brew works, lakeville brewery and studebaker brewery. They have a lake on property and a shooting range for members only. They have Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops that camp and take care of the sites. They even started an orchard to bring in pollinators. They need young members to help keep this place alive. A great place to have a wedding too!

I was recently at the corn & Brew Fest last Saturday. It was very well organized and had several…read morethings for people to do, corn hole, beer pong, a couple breweries, Black Jack, a band (Shock Roxie) and other things too. People were very friendly and most seemed to have a good time. Corn was delicious and sausage on a bun was awesome!! I will definitely go again next year!!

I have been trying for a couple years to find someone to match the photo style of a family military…read morephoto tree from my grandfather down to me. It had been created many years before and I wanted to change one of the photos, matching the style of the previous photos. Chris did an excellent job and I can now pass it on to my oldest son with pride. Great job Chris!

We have used Glass Heron to photograph 3 of our seasonal rentals and Chris does a fantastic job!…read more He arrives on time and takes photos from various angles and views, so we can choose the best ones for our rentals. The awesome photos Chris show off the best in our properties and we receive guest comments frequently about "the great pictures." We'll definitely use Glass Heron again!

Once upon a time, a girl had just moved into her apartment on the north side of Chicago, and wanted…read moreto fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a crazy cat lady. To do this, she needed to adopt some cats. Two cats, to be exact. Knowing that a big city like Chicago had an abundance of animals in need, she figured this task would be an easy one. However, try as she did, the various shelters she contacted in Chicago failed to return her phone calls and emails in a timely fashion, or at all. She had, however, contacted PetsConnect in Indiana, and although it was a two hour drive from her apartment, the girl's eagerness to adopt, combined with the friendliness of the volunteers of the nonprofit organization and their timely response led to the girl driving all the way to South Bend to meet the kitties. And what wonderful kitties they were. Young ones, old ones, brown ones, black ones, striped ones, solid ones, cats with extra toes, cats that were missing eyes, cats that had been abandonned, lovey cats and lonely cats. The organization was not a formal shelter in one location, but rather, a volunteer-run organization that rescued animals from shelters and fostered by volunteers who cared for the animals in their homes. The volunteers of the organization rescued not only cats, but dogs and other small animals as well. All of the animals had names and histories that the volunteers were all too happy to share. The girl met with one woman whose whole garage was devoted to housing rescued cats, and even though this might sound strange, the space was ideal for the animals--heated, clean, with plenty of space and toys. Even better was that all of the animals had been checked out by a vet, had their shots and were spayed and microchipped. The girl was able to take as much time as she needed to meet and spend time with the kitties, and the volunteer made sure that she had a firm grasp of the cats' personalities and the responsibilities pet owning entailed. Additionally, the organization's policy is one that they ask that the animals be returned to them in the event that they must ever be surrendered, lessening the likelihood that the animals would ever become homeless again. Ultimately, the girl would adopt her two kitties, rejoicing in her decision to drive all the way to South Bend, IN. Naturally, her and her kitties lived happily ever after.

Well, all I can say about looking to adopt a dog nowadays....good luck! It is the most miserable,…read moredepressing experience I have ever had, regarding this subject! I did not realize how much the world has changed and not for the best! What should be a basically, easy process to give a poor dog a good home, has turned into a nightmare! I GET IT that there are a lot of abusive, cruel people out there, but my GOD, how much red tape and endless PRIVATE questions must you endure in the process! Years ago you could go to the DOG POUND, now, that ages me, doesn't it? And, you could find a lot of good dogs, of ALL breeds, not just mainly one breed (dare I say it!). You also could get good dogs from your neighborhood. Before the hysteria of FIXING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT! Also from your work, etc. Wasn't too difficult, I remember (those were the days). Because everything is being forced ONLINE, where they can hide more, you basically can't tell really, WHERE they come from (puppymills,pet stores,etc.) I had a breeder tell me that a lot of dogs coming from Asian countries are actually being bred for profit, but are being brought over here as 'RESCUES'. And, they are carrying this disease that can affect our American dogs. The FDA is looking the other way.....Guess my only option is to go to reputable, expensive breeders or Craigslist! Heard so many negative things about them in the past. Yes there is a lot of that, BUT it isn't all bad. Just have to be careful. SO VERY SAD FOR ALL THESE DOGS THAT REALLY NEED GOOD HOMES.............