Operating out of the old Hudson’s Bay Company warehouse in Fort Qu’Appelle Sask., Second Chance Thrift Boutique is a store that stands out on the city’s main road, Broadway Street. Inside, you’re greeted by a display that has been set up for the fall season and beyond that are racks of clothes; shelves with books, movies and CDs; crates with old records; the kinds of things you would expect to find in a secondhand store.

Along the walls and on some of the clothing racks you might notice a sign for the Choose Life Ministry, among a few other differences between this and a typical thrift store. This is because the Second Chance Thrift Boutique in Fort Qu’Appelle is one of five Second Chance stores found in Saskatchewan, all established as non-profits through the Choose Life Ministry.

From Choose Life’s website, the Ministry describes itself as “a Christian faith-based community living program … that aids young women in dealing with life-controlling issues such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and trauma related challenges”.

The founder and director of Choose Life Ministry, Shelley Boyes, established the ministry in 2012, six years after her oldest daughter lost her life in a traffic accident. The tragedy left Boyes and her two younger daughters feeling lost and inspired her to help other young women facing difficult obstacles in life.

The first Second Chance Boutique was opened in Estavan, Sask. in 2014 and since then there have been an additional 4 locations built across Southern Sask. All profits from the boutiques go to support Choose Life and keep the organization running.

When I asked the manager of the Fort Qu’Appelle location, Wendy Harrison, if the stores were able to be profitable with this model, she assured me that the stores were very profitable.

Each store is run with the help of the people from the towns they’re based in, as all the items they sell are donated to the stores by members of the community. Harrison said the community is very supportive and appreciative of how all donations and purchases contribute to a cause like Choose Life and always has individuals and businesses looking to donate to the store.

Boyes and Harrison also noted that the stores are very popular in communities with a nearby lake, as people spending their summers in cabins near the water love visiting the stores.

The profits from the stores all go to the Choose Life Ministry, which allows Choose Life to provide free room and board to women who are 18 and up and facing various obstacles like substance abuse and self-harm.

Early on in Choose Life’s history, they found an old stone house on a property in Saskatchewan. After ensuring the house was structurally sound, they began renovations in 2015 and opened the house in 2017. Now, that scenic stone home is where women have the ability to tackle the various challenges they face.

Boyes stated that Choose Life Ministry is changing the scope of who they’ll help, opening it to a wider range of women 18 and changing the program from 3 to 6 months into an intensive 7 day program. This is with the goal of being able to help a greater number of those who need it.