(ABC 6 News) – A Stewartville woman uses her business to give back to those in tough situations, trying to get their lives back on track.

“I wanted to be able to provide affordable, nicer things to people that are like leaving domestic violence situations, or coming out of treatment centers or prisons or getting out of jail, and you know they don’t have a lot of money,” said Angela Van Gundy, the owner of On Main Thrift and Consignment.

Van Gundy’s generosity shines through how she runs her business. For example, Friday she gave away a purse priced at $5 for only $3 because that was all the customer had.

Her own life experiences have inspired Van Gundy to give back however she can.

“I’ve been in that situation myself, you know, getting divorced, I didn’t have a lot of money, and you know I had to give up like some of the nicer things I didn’t want to give up and it’s hard to do that,” said Van Gundy.

Giving out free clothes, home goods and $50 gift certificates to those in need is just the tip of the iceberg. Van Gundy is also planning to run a food pantry out the back of her shop soon.

“I wanted to try to get that started here in Stewartville as well because the need is there, definitely,” said Van Gundy.

As a regular volunteer with Community Food Response in Rochester, she knows how busy food pantries get.

“I’ve only been in this job since the end of May, and what I’m seeing is a absolute surging of the number of people who are using our services,” said Site Coordinator Pernell Meier.

Community Food Response served 10,374 people back in July, and at least 522 this Friday alone.

Meier says with demand increasing but donations staying the same, it’s hard to provide for surrounding communities.

“What’s happening in Stewartville’s really important because not everyone has transportation to Rochester, so if we can have some of these satellite areas, that would also take some of the pressure off,” said Meier.

While Van Gundy waits for everything to be ready to get her food pantry up and running, she’s also focused on getting the consignment store in order. Ahead of a new shipment of goods, she’s giving away free clothes and dishes through next week.

“There is a profit to be had, but I guess at this point it’s not really about that for me,” said Van Gundy.

On Main Thrift and Consignment is open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Eventually, when Van Gundy gets more employees and volunteers, she hopes to be open all seven days a week.

Community Food Response is looking for more donors to keep supplies stocked. If you’d like to donate, you can reach out to Meier at 651-789-2449 or communityfoodresponse@gmail.com.