A new thrift store and prayer room will open on Friday, August 16 on Highway 160 in Theodosia next to Dollar General thanks to the efforts of Tailgate Ministries, a project started in 2020 by Isabella residents Arthur and Norma Fortin. The store and prayer room will be open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Ever since the Treasure Gallery closed, we thought the city needed something for people who are struggling financially,” Arthur Fortin, founder of Tailgate Ministries, told the Just recently. All proceeds from the store are reinvested in the ministry’s efforts, Fortin says. Garments are sold for $1 a piece unless otherwise marked, it says.
The Fortins purchased the large building on Highway 160 in Theodosia, which has been vacant for the past 12 years. The large glass windows on the front give the building a beautiful facade, and the building includes several rooms, bathrooms, a full kitchen and a basement for storage that can be used for various church purposes in the future. The Fortins say a 220-square-foot portion of the building will be used for the thrift store and a 93-square-foot portion will be used for the prayer room.
“We want to thank everyone who helped us here. We had volunteers who helped with the painting and some gave us a little financial support on the side,” said Norma. “We are grateful to each and every one of them.”
The thrift store is now accepting donations, but staff ask that those who wish to donate call Arthur ahead of time to ensure the donated items are dropped off at a time when a member of Tailgate Ministries can receive them. Call Fortin at 417-712-3975 to arrange the drop-off.
In the prayer room in the building there is an area where someone is available to talk to residents who want to talk through a difficult time, pray or just sit and chat.
Church services
The group also holds a weekly service every Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. Fortin made it clear that they do not want to compete with other churches in the area for members, so they have agreed to meet on Tuesday evenings when other churches are not holding services, and hope to attract congregants who do not yet have a home church. The first service will be held on Tuesday, August 20, at 6 p.m.
Tailgate Ministries is also hosting a meeting for church leadership in the area and invites leaders from all churches in the area to visit on Monday, August 19th at 6:00 p.m.
More about Tailgate Ministries
Arthur says the charity Tailgate Ministries was born when God brought together the lives of some souls who were in the deepest trenches of grief. Arthur and his wife Norma were two of those people.
The couple moved to Isabella in 2016 and bought a resort after their 33-year-old son Shane died unexpectedly. The death coincided with their daughter moving away to college.
Hoping that the change of scenery would help them overcome the pain, the Fortins threw themselves into the business and their life in the Ozarks. But no matter what they did, there was no way to heal the gaping wound left by the loss of a child.
“When he died, I carried a void for six years,” Fortin said. “… until God brought a special young lady into our lives.”
The young lady, 33-year-old Kira Dunn, was introduced to her life in October 2020 when Arthur saw her at a local resort while picking up a boy for fishing. Arthur and Kira started chatting, which developed into a deep conversation about the challenges they were both facing: Fortin losing his son and Kira losing her purpose in life. A few days later, Kira came to the Fortins’ resort and asked if they were hiring.
“Were we looking for an employee? No. But after hearing about her heartbreaking struggles, we decided to help her by giving her a job,” Fortin told the Just when she spoke about the program a few years ago. “She helped us paint the resort’s cabins and do the normal maintenance of the resort.”
Kira, who was about the same age as her son, immediately won the hearts of the Fortins. They took her under their wing and began helping her plan for her future. They helped her graduate from high school and tried to help her with the next steps to find a career she liked. She told the Fortins she just wanted to help people.
With this in mind, Arthur and Kira began delivering food parcels to those in need in the community. It wasn’t long before their list grew to ten or more people who needed help. Through the deliveries, they met many neighbors and community members. These friendships led to a bond of trust that allowed the food recipients to reveal other urgent needs they had. Arthur and Kira helped in this way too, when they could.
“We repaired water pipes in the middle of winter, repaired people’s vehicles so they could go to church, got them firewood … if they needed it and we could give it to them, we did it,” he said.
Most of the help was provided free of charge by people who could not afford to hire someone to do the work, but they felt that helping people was enough of a payment.
They continued to do what they could and kept their hearts open to the places God showed them.
“Then I guess God suddenly changed course and said we should become carpenters,” Fortin said. “Since then, we’ve done a lot of carpentry work.”
Fortin’s background in construction and tenacity from his Air Force career, coupled with Kira’s commitment to service, were just the fuel needed to make a major impact on the community.
At this time the Tailgate Ministry began.
The couple’s first project was for a member of the community to whom they had brought food over the winter. The woman lived in a storage shed-type hut that had been built on a plot of land and was not yet completed.
“The cabin was set up and tied down, and that was it. There was no bathroom, no shower, no sink. She lived there in a raw state for a while,” he said. Arthur and Kira insulated the building and immediately donated a heater, then converted the cabin into a proper living space with indoor plumbing, bathroom and other necessities.
They continued this effort as best they could for months. Through helping others, the Fortins and Kira grew closer.
Since then, Tailgate Ministry has grown into quite a busy endeavor. Arthur and Kira are now joined by another staff member, Stormie Brown, who joined Tailgate Ministries two years ago after experiencing devastating life circumstances herself when her house burned down in 2021.
Fortin says he pays Kira and Stormie a good salary for their work, so they both have steady jobs and a source of income to support their children. Plus, they’re constantly learning construction skills that they can use in their future careers if they choose.
Through their efforts, they were able to purchase and renovate a home for Kira and her children, and they recently completed building a home for Stormie and her children.
The Tailgate Ministries trio undertakes both traditional construction work for those who can pay for their services and donated labor for those who are in dire need and often unable to pay.
“It’s a balancing act. You have to keep some paying jobs to have enough money left for the unpaid jobs,” he said.
The new thrift store, prayer room and church are located at 5990 Highway 160, Theodosia. To learn more about Tailgate Ministries or the thrift store and prayer room, contact Arthur Fortin at 417-712-3975.
