The Trinity Thrift Store in Lehighton is again offering its annual Christmas sale.

It’s a chance to buy new and gently used Christmas decorations, gifts and other holiday items at affordable prices and without the crazy dash to stores over Thanksgiving weekend. Every dollar spent at the sale will be donated to the Trinity Food Pantry, which serves needy families in the Lehighton Area School District.The sale begins today in Luther Hall. In addition, the store will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.“We have a lot of things for sale, more than we had last year if you can believe it,” said Kay Patterson, the manager of the Trinity Thrift Store. “We hope that everyone will come and get an early start to their shopping this Christmas.”Sale items include indoor and outdoor decorations and lights, new gift items, jewelry, cards, knickknacks and vintage items, candles, baby equipment, toys, books, small appliances, and more. Artificial trees and wreaths will also be available for purchase.All items sold at the Thrift Store’s Christmas sale and regular store are donated by members of the community, allowing the thrift store to turn over every dollar raised to the Trinity Food Pantry.Patterson noted that while the demand for food at the Trinity Food Pantry has decreased slightly, the pantry still provides thousands of family-sized bags of food each year.“The need is still there. When you serve 460 families per month, we appreciate the support,” she said.The thrift store’s annual Christmas sale, while just four days long, generates roughly 10 percent of the store’s annual sales.Last year’s sale raised more than $4,000, bringing the store’s total donations to the Trinity Food Pantry to $43,000 for the year.It seems like a lot of money, but is still significantly less than the food pantry needs each year to remain open.The pantry purchases roughly $8,000 in food each month, in addition to accepting food donations from the local community and businesses.Both the Trinity Thrift Store and Food Pantry are operated and staffed by volunteers.No one working at either site, including workers at the Christmas sale, earns a paycheck — which means that every dollar donated to both organizations goes directly to help needy families.While the thrift store’s primary goal is to raise funds for the pantry, Patterson noted that it’s also serving the community in a second way by providing affordable, high quality holiday items for those who might not be able to afford full-price decorations and gifts.The same can be said for the thrift store’s weekly sales throughout the year, which offer a wide selection of clothing for men, women and children, household items, and more. It’s just one more way that she hopes her volunteers are able to give back to the community.The main thrift store will be open normal business hours this week and throughout the holidays: Tuesday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.The Trinity Thrift Store is located at Trinity Lutheran Church, 175 S. Third St. in Lehighton.