Our Story
Our Story
On a late summer day back in 2018, St. Vincent de Paul closed the doors of its Sharpsburg thrift store for the last time. In a community where 1 in 4 households do not have access to a private vehicle, residents were left without a way to meet critical material needs. Their appeal for quality goods at affordable prices was heard, and more than 380 individuals, foundations, and businesses came together to fund a new community destination for affordable goods. Second Harvest’s first nonprofit retail venture in Sharpsburg, the Community Thrift Store, opened its doors in March 2021.
Second Harvest’s Community Thrift Store turned cash flow-positive in the first year, and has since grossed over $2 million in revenue. But our success goes beyond the bottom line to a business deeply rooted in sustainability, social responsibility, and community impact. We are proud to have sustained seven full-time, living-wage jobs with benefits, reduced our store’s carbon emissions the equivalent of planting 1,500+ trees, and reinvested more than $150,000 in store profits back into the community through grants to like-minded organizations.
As our business has grown and our neighborhood roots have deepened, the challenge of food access continued to rise to the forefront. When a beloved Sharpsburg bakery closed unexpectedly, Second Harvest’s Board of Directors took decisive action to purchase the building at 808 Main Street. With a commercial kitchen, bakery, and 2,000 square feet of retail space, Harvest on Main Community Market opened in 2026—bringing healthy, affordable food options back to Sharpsburg and deepening our commitment to community care.
Bonnie is the Founder and Executive Director of Second Harvest. Bonnie is a passionate social entrepreneur devoted to meeting material and relational needs as the foundation for a healthy, thriving Sharpsburg. Her energetic leadership has brought Second Harvest’s two nonprofit retail locations to life, with ripple effects across our community. Prior to launching Second Harvest, Bonnie was an Analytical Chemist at Merck and PPG and the Vice President of Backpack For Hunger, which serves hundreds of food-insecure students in the Fox Chapel Area School District each week.
In 2018, Wilma Stoebener left a generous bequest to Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church for the care and support of underserved communities. What started as a vision to expand the church’s annual rummage sale quickly grew beyond the church and became Second Harvest’s Community Thrift Store. Wilma’s founding bequest anchored the capital campaign for Second Harvest’s Community Thrift Store, and mobilized more than 380 others to lend their support. Wilma’s memory lives on in Second Harvest’s service to the community.
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