(WXYZ) — A unique store inside East English Village Prep Academy in Detroit has catapulted into success since its opening.
However, there is something that may surprise you – it hasn't made a single dollar in revenue.
The Young Voices Action Collective, or Y-VAC Hub, money is no good. The free community store inside the school offers basic essentials for not just Detroit Public Schools Community District students and their families, but for community members.
“I first started last year coming down here as a customer myself," Kajire Ford, a senior at the school, said. “They offered something and I was like wow you’re really cool people.”
Kajire is a volunteer at the store, working alongside Zaria Pope and Y_VAC's founder, Davonte Johnson, who is also an East English Village grad.
Johnson started Y-VAC, a national youth-led group, in 2019 as a way to amplify young leaders. Last year, they surveyed local students and asked what they needed, and what they saw others needed.
The resounding answer was basic essentials.
“So people we’re bringing in goods out of their homes, from their organizations," Johnson said.
This year, the district joined forces, allowing the hub to stock more things more often.
The store has everything you’d expect – nonperishables, canned goods, things like soap and deodorant. But it also has things like baby formula and even diapers.
“It’s usually the friend coming saying, 'My friend needs deodorant,' or 'My friend needs a hygiene product.' And I say, 'Okay, here it is, but bring your friend too,'" Pope said.
Building that trust and sense of belonging is part of what's driving the mission, which went into overdrive this winter when storms caused widespread power outages in Detroit.
They took people food, made boxes, and made sure people had access to ready-to-eat food.
“It’s been very very beneficial," Cynthia Roddie, a longtime DPSCD teacher, said. “With COVID, a number of things have transpired in people’s lives and if they need some essentials, they can get it here.”
While they might not be handling cash, for students, there is real-life job training.
“They learn all the credentials in running and operating a store, managing a whole store," Zaria said.
The store serves about 300 people a month, both on-location and also via deliveries, which ramped up this winter.
Thanks to a grant, students are paid to work the store in the summer. During the school year, volunteers like Kajire step in.
“These things are like low-key important to many people that are in need of small things or even big things," Kajire said.
Big things sometimes start with small ideas, like filling a cap in basic needs, and for the student volunteers, it comes full circle.
“They feel empowered to continue to help and I see that it follows them home, it doesn’t stop here," Zaria said.
Right now, Y-VAC is raising money to buy a bus so it can continue direct deliveries and expand its reach within the community.
