The Mission Store helping others with clothes, food
In today’s trying times, businesses that serve the community are essential to individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. For Jones County and the local community, that’s where The Mission Store comes in.
With locations in Petal, Collins and in Laurel, at 15 Service Boulevard just off of Ellisville Boulevard, The Mission Store has been a beacon of hope in Petal for 12 years, in Laurel since 2015 and in Collins since 2016, carrying everything from discount clothes, cleaning supplies and anything else it can offer people who might be struggling to obtain the essentials they need elsewhere. While not a non-profit organization, owner Debrah Jordan said her family isn’t looking to get rich off of the stores. They just want to keep them open and help people as much as they can.
Jordan, the founder, views The Mission Store as God’s store, and said that He was the reason she began the venture.
“About 12 years ago, I went to this little thrift store in Runnelstown,” Jordan said. “The lady who had it pretty much offered it to me, so I ended up taking it. It started in a little run-down café, and then we moved to Ellisville for seven months, but we couldn’t stay there because the lady we rented the building from was selling it. Just starting out, I didn’t have the money to buy the building. So, we ended up in Petal, and I’ve been there going on 13 years.
“Our store is all about helping people — tornado victims, fire victims, people who are getting out of prison and anyone like that is who we are trying to help. God put this store in my lap, and we like to say that this is His store. That’s what it is.”
The owners have countless stories of lives The Mission Store has touched. Items in the store are for sale at a discounted price, but those in more desperate need have been lifted up through their experience at all the locations.
“I had a lady come in and ask to borrow $20 one time, and I thought she wanted money to shop at the store,” Debrah said. “When I told the cashier to let her get $20 worth of stuff from the store, she told me that she needed the money for food.
“The day before that, someone had donated a whole grocery store buggy worth of food. That day, I told my daughter-in-law that maybe God will send someone who needs this food, and the next day, she showed up needing food. We gave her all of the groceries and the money. That’s what we do here. It’s a ministry. We pray for people in the store if they ask us to. It’s all about God, and I think that is why it has stayed strong all of these years.”
Donations are where the majority of the merchandise comes from, and that helps The Mission Store be able to give back even more outside of its own four walls. The Jordans regularly donate to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Wounded Warriors Foundation. They also have donation jars set up at their locations for people in the community who are struggling with medical conditions.
“There are a lot of people out there that are sick, elderly and coming off of drugs who are struggling to just put food on the table,” Jordan said. “We love to help people, and it’s rewarding to do the Lord’s work. It’s important to be there for the community as a place with affordable prices, and we are blessed enough that we are able to do more than that. That is why we call it God’s store.”
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