FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZ. – After being closed for several months, the Turn Around Point (TAP) officially reopened its doors at 10 a.m. Tuesday to serve the military community after a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Religious Support Office.
“The Turn Around Point is a free, honor store where we get free-will donations and give them out to people in the community who are in need,” said Morgana Biddix, religious support assistant. “It just doesn’t get any better than that!”
The usage rates demonstrate that the community agrees.
“On an average day, our records show that we help around 25 people in here, and there are some months when we have helped over 400 families,” Biddix added.
The TAP is open to all DOD ID card holders, to include active-duty military and retirees. All items are free, and there is no set limit to how many items may be taken at one time.
That was a shock to one of the patrons on opening day when she walked up to the checkout counter and asked, “How much do I owe you for these?”
Volunteer Antoinette Mims told of a woman it was all free, and the woman replied, “Free? FREE?! No way!”
According to its dedicated patrons, that is exactly what makes the TAP such an asset to the community.
“The [Turn Around Point] is a valuable resource for new parents,” said Amanda Cross who was shopping with her newborn. “I think it’s a good place for us to be able to come get things for our kids.”
Abby Davis, who is currently six months pregnant agreed.
“This is a great way to get any last-minute stuff that we need [for the baby],” she said. “Babies grow so fast that it’s sometimes hard to keep up. This way, we can find some things, and as the baby outgrows them, we bring them back in for someone else to use. I do find that the people who use [the TAP] are also really good at giving back.”
“We were avid TAP users prior to its shutdown, and we also donated a lot,” said her husband, Chris. “Anytime we have anything extra, instead of giving it to Goodwill or something, we would rather give it back to someone in the community here at Fort Huachuca.”
The TAP runs completely on donations and is staffed entirely by volunteers. Biddix was quick to thank the volunteers.
“We absolutely depend on our community and our wonderful volunteers, and we couldn’t do it without them,” she said. “On any given day, in order for us to be open, we need two to three volunteers. And there is always work to be done.”
The Turn Around Point is located in Building 52045, right next to the Laundromat. It has a drop box for donated items, located inside the building by the entrance to the store. Items can also be turned in during normal business hours 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
They accept all clothing and household items, but no food or cleaning supplies. Items must be clean and in good condition. Furniture and large items such as televisions cannot be accepted due to space constraints. They also cannot legally accept infant or child car seats, bike helmets or motorcycle helmets.
People interested in volunteering can contact the Religious Support Office at 520.533.4748.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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