Search Thrift Shop and Group Home

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Search Thrift Shop and Group Home The SEARCH group home provides a warm and nurturing environment for intellectually-challenged adults. OUR MISSION:

Shenandoah County SEARCH, Inc.

Income from the thrift shop provides funds necessary for the continued operation of the group home. (“SEARCH”) has two missions --

- to provide a warm and nurturing home for intellectually-challenged adults through our group home in Mount Jackson.
- to operate the thrift shop, also in Mount Jackson, which serves the needs of the broader community by offering quality merchandise at affordable prices. The thrift shop sells only donated items and provides most of the financial support for the group home. SEARCH was established in August, 1978 by Preston and Vivian Poole, and others who were interested in the welfare of intellectually-challenged citizens. SEARCH is a Section 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. Thus, donations to SEARCH are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by applicable law. SEARCH continues to operate in memory of Vivian Poole, who dedicated 30 years of her life to this cause. SEARCH is grateful for the visionary leadership of Sid and Betsy Price following the death of Vivian Poole. They helped put SEARCH on the road to success! Their generosity and vision provided SEARCH with the current thrift shop building. Care for our residents guided their vision. DONATIONS:

To make a $ donation to SEARCH, you can mail a check to P.O. Box 1147, Mount Jackson, VA 22842, or drop your check or cash donation at the thrift store. You can also make a donation with a credit or debit card through the following link: https://square.link/u/Uqq78hkp

We accept donations of clothing and accessories, housewares, furniture, linens, home decor, toys, books, movies, antiques, and the like at the thrift store. Donations should be new or gently used, clean and in good condition. We accept donations during store hours before 3:30 at the back of the store as long as the canopy is open. If you have furniture or many items, please call the store in advance and make an appointment so we are sure to have room for them. Call Wanda Kirchoff, store manager, at 540-477-2600. VOLUNTEER:

Volunteers are our lifeline. Volunteers in the thrift shop are salespeople, cashiers, sorters, cleaners, display designers, truck drivers, and furniture movers. Volunteers also serve on the SEARCH Board of Directors and its various committees. Volunteers help with planned events, do publicity, and maintain social media. To volunteer in ANY way, please contact Wanda Kirchoff at 540-477-2600.​

10/15/2026

The National SEARCH Park
of America
By Samantha Tankersley

I would like to begin this story by thanking our donors for
dedicating their time and money in order to make the exterior of
our group home look fabulous.

This has required three phases. The first phase – the front – has
been completed, requiring pulling weeds, planting a new tree by
the driveway and planting new shrubs and bushes along the side.
The second phase – the roost – has just now been completed.
The second phase required planting new trees, putting down
brown mulch (to prevent weeds), and pulling more weeds.

These two phases are just the beginning of our very own
“National SEARCH Park of America” (or so I call it). The National
SEARCH Park of America (NSPA) is beautiful. The NSPA makes
me feel happy, calm, and even refreshed whenever I go outside.
The NSPA is full of beautiful, calming colors.
And the smells. The NSPA has different ranges of scents. First, it
smells like fruit (like blueberries) – probably because of the
serviceberry tree. Secondly, it smells fresh (like flowers) –
probably because of nature – like trees surrounding the rest of the
yard.

The NSPA makes me feel like I’m back at home again; in a way, it
makes me feel like I’m in my grandpa’s apple orchard again.
That’s what the NSPA makes me feel. Why? It’s because the
NSPA is homey; it’s nature-like; and it’s (like I said) a national
park in our very own backyard.

Here's a story by one of our Group Home residents, Sam, about the wonderful new landscaping at the home. We appreciate ...
10/15/2026

Here's a story by one of our Group Home residents, Sam, about the wonderful new landscaping at the home. We appreciate all the donors who have made and continue to make this magic possible!

The National SEARCH Park of America
By Samantha Tankersley

I would like to begin this story by thanking our donors for
dedicating their time and money in order to make the exterior of
our group home look fabulous.

This has required three phases. The first phase – the front – has
been completed, requiring pulling weeds, planting a new tree by
the driveway and planting new shrubs and bushes along the side.

The second phase – the roost – has just now been completed.
The second phase required planting new trees, putting down
brown mulch (to prevent weeds), and pulling more weeds.

These two phases are just the beginning of our very own
“National SEARCH Park of America” (or so I call it). The National
SEARCH Park of America (NSPA) is beautiful. The NSPA makes
me feel happy, calm, and even refreshed whenever I go outside.
The NSPA is full of beautiful, calming colors.

And the smells. The NSPA has different ranges of scents. First, it
smells like fruit (like blueberries) – probably because of the
serviceberry tree. Secondly, it smells fresh (like flowers) –
probably because of nature – like trees surrounding the rest of the
yard.

The NSPA makes me feel like I’m back at home again; in a way, it
makes me feel like I’m in my grandpa’s apple orchard again.
That’s what the NSPA makes me feel. Why? It’s because the
NSPA is homey; it’s nature-like; and it’s (like I said) a national
park in our very own backyard.

The Thrift Shop is looking for volunteers! Store volunteers get a $5 store credit they can use when they volunteer. Ch...
10/15/2026

The Thrift Shop is looking for volunteers! Store volunteers get a $5 store credit they can use when they volunteer. Check this out!

10/09/2026

The Chili Witch Has Been Put On Notice

The residents created this scarecrow with special powers. He is able to cast a hex of his own if she tries any funny business.

Make sure to say hello to him and the residents. Rumor has it he may have to cast a tie vote in the event residents can’t decide on voting for the best car.

The Chili Witch Has Been Put On NoticeThe residents created this scarecrow with special powers. He is able to cast a hex...
10/09/2026

The Chili Witch Has Been Put On Notice

The residents created this scarecrow with special powers. He is able to cast a hex of his own if she tries any funny business.

Make sure to say hello to him and the residents. Rumor has it he may have to cast a tie vote in the event residents can’t decide on voting for the best car.

THE SECRET SEASONING“OH, HONEY. IS THAT ALL THE SEASONING YOU’RE USING?” Cayenne Cornelia has entered the chat.And possi...
10/07/2026

THE SECRET SEASONING

“OH, HONEY. IS THAT ALL THE SEASONING YOU’RE USING?”

Cayenne Cornelia has entered the chat.
And possibly tampered with the spice rack.

Our resident Chili Witch is preparing for Saturday’s Sizzling Chili Cook-Off, Car Show & Fall Festival benefiting SEARCH.

That little jar? A family secret.
That raised eyebrow? A personal assessment.
She’ll be making the rounds with unsolicited advice, suspiciously good timing, and a wooden spoon she insists is “also a wand.”

Join us for chili, classic cars, live music, 15+ vendors, a Frisbee competition, and fall fun for the kids!
Saturday, October 10 | 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
New Market Eagles, 135 White Mill Road, New Market, VA

She’s bringing the spice.
You bring something other than excuses.

WELL, WELL, WELL… WHAT HAVE WE GOT SIMMERING HERE? Meet Cayenne Cornelia, the Chili Witch.For generations, Cornelia has ...
10/06/2026

WELL, WELL, WELL… WHAT HAVE WE GOT SIMMERING HERE?

Meet Cayenne Cornelia, the Chili Witch.

For generations, Cornelia has appeared wherever the chili is hot, the gossip is fresh, and somebody needs to be told their pot could use another pinch of cumin.

Nobody knows her age. Nobody knows her recipe. And nobody mentions either if they’d like to remain human.

With her trusty wooden spoon and a handbag full of “just-in-case” hexes, she considers herself an authority on seasoning, presentation, and whether you’re having enough fun.

This Saturday, she’ll be making her rounds at the Sizzling Chili Cook-Off, Car Show & Fall Festival benefiting SEARCH—inspecting the chili, admiring the cars, passing judgment on pumpkins, and peering over her glasses at YOU.

Her compliments are coveted.
Her side-eye is complimentary.

Saturday, October 10 | 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
New Market Eagles, 135 White Mill Road, New Market, VA

Come hungry. Give her something to talk about.

The Chili Witch is a special guest at the Chili Cook-off, Car Show and Fall Festival! She invites children of all ages t...
10/05/2026

The Chili Witch is a special guest at the Chili Cook-off, Car Show and Fall Festival! She invites children of all ages to fly in on Oct. 10 from 9-4 at the New Market Eagles, 135 White Mill Road.

As the chefs compete in the cook-off, she will be stirring up her own pot of fun.

She will be tooling around to admire the collection of the classic cars and competing in the ring toss and frisbee toss!

And she may be put on her invisibility cloak to bounce around with the kids in the bouncy house.

She has cast a hex of good times and generosity on behalf of the Eagles and SEARCH.

10/05/2026

❤️ This is what community partnerships look like.

Partnership is more than organizations working in the same community. It is community organizations working as one—supporting each other and the people we collectively serve.

For SCHC, that recently looked like SEARCH Thrift Shop in Mount Jackson stepping in to help provide winter clothing for our patients in need.

It looks like warm socks.

It looks like a winter coat.

It looks like clothing for someone who simply doesn't have the extra money to purchase what they need as temperatures begin to fall.

SEARCH has been helping our community for decades. The SEARCH Thrift Shop opened in 1977 and offers donated clothing, household goods, furniture, and other necessities at affordable prices. Even more importantly, proceeds from the shop help support the SEARCH Group Home, which provides a warm and nurturing home for adults with intellectual disabilities in our community.

That makes this partnership particularly special. One local nonprofit whose community supports its mission is turning around and helping another nonprofit support its patients.

At Shenandoah Community Health Clinic, we know that health doesn't begin and end in an exam room. When someone is worried about staying warm, finding their next meal, affording medication, or keeping a roof over their head, those challenges affect their health too.

We cannot meet every need ourselves—and we don't have to. That is the power of community partnerships.

A huge THANK YOU to SEARCH Thrift Shop and Shenandoah County SEARCH for helping us make sure our neighbors have access to warm clothing this winter.

And when you donate or shop at SEARCH Thrift Shop, you are supporting another important local mission at the same time. Their shop is located at 5982 Main Street in Mount Jackson.

This is community.
This is partnership.
This is neighbors taking care of neighbors. ❤️

The New Market Eagles #4264 are very generous to partner with SEARCH for the Sizzling Chili Cook-Off, Car Show and Fall...
10/04/2026

The New Market Eagles #4264 are very generous to partner with SEARCH for the Sizzling Chili Cook-Off, Car Show and Fall Festival, to be held on Saturday, October 10, at 135 White Mill Road, New Market, VA 22844. The Festival opens to the public at 9 am!

The SEARCH Group Home and Thrift Shop have been in existence for almost 50 years! This partnership will bring welcoming community visibility to both our eight wonderful residents and to our store, as well as the necessary funding for operating expenses.

The New Market Eagles #4264 are part of a much larger international non-profit organization with approximately 2,500 locations throughout the United States and Canada and was established in 1898. From local food banks, churches, school programs and scholarships to national charities promoting children’s health and the welfare of our veterans and first responders, the New Market Eagles strive to be a shining light to those in need while living up to our motto “People Helping People,” according to Brian John, a main organizer of this event.



Address

5982 Main Street
Mount Jackson, VA
22842

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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