ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — George Pulliam believes in giving back to the community.

The Robertsdale native and 1959 graduate of Robertsdale High School, who now lives in Loxley, gave back to the community for 30 years as a public servant, retiring in 1992 as Robertsdale’s postmaster.

For the next 13 years, Pulliam owned and operated a local lawnmower dealership in Robertsdale. It was during that time he and his wife began volunteering at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and in turn, Catholic Social Services.

“We are members of the church, and we started volunteering with the church and the school,” he said. “Then I started cutting the grass, and eventually we began volunteering with pantry and the Thrift Store.”

Today, they run the operation of the store, which serves to raise funds for Catholic Social Services charitable programs.

“It’s a full-time job,” said Pulliam, who is now 70. “You have to be here every day to sort through the donations or it can get away from you in a hurry.”

Most week days, Pulliam and his wife, Sarah, put in a full day at the store. They will even come in on weekends for a few hours, just to sort through any donations that come in over the weekend.

As many as 14 volunteers work at the store in a given day, Pulliam said, some work five days a week, some four, some three, some one day a week depending on availability and need.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Thrift Shop,” he said. “All of the proceeds from the shop go to the operation of Catholic Social Services programs.”

Most Mondays are spent sorting through items that come in over the weekend, Pulliam said, everything from clothes and toys to furniture and appliances and, as the weather continues to cool, blankets and comforters.

“Most of what we get is dropped off here (at the CSS warehouse in Robertsdale),” he said. “We used to go out and pick up items as far away as Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, but our volunteers are getting older and just aren’t able to keep up with the demand anymore.”

Pulliam and his wife keep track of items that come into the store, making sure seasonal items are kept in stock. They also help those in need, providing clothes and other items at no charge to those who qualify.

“The Thrift Store is a vital part of our operations here at Catholic Social Services,” said CSS Director Michelle Prockup. “We are grateful and blessed for people like George who keep things running smoothly so that we can provide our many services.”

Prockup said for 2011-2012, the charity has a budget of $133,000 for charitable services. The thrift store alone will bring in a projected $125,000 for the next fiscal year, Prockup said. Prockup said that figure does not include in-kind projects in which donations are provided for a fee, depending on the need of the client. Additional funding for Catholic Social Services is provided through donations and funds from Catholic Charities, the United Way and various grants.

Catholic Social Services is already gearing up for the Christmas season and the organization’s Christmas Sharing program, which provides food, toys and gift items for families over the holiday season. The organization also provides assistance through the holiday season with the elderly and homebound through Catholic Ladies of Charities.

Another project operated on a daily basis is the organization’s food pantry which provides food to needy families.

Other projects operated by Catholic Social Services include:

•Emergency services: Helps with emergency assistance for food, clothing, rent, utilities and other needs, distributed through FEMA Funds and Project Share funds.

•Disabled Homeless Program: Provides permanent housing with case management social support services to adults and their families who have an adult member who is disabled and the family is homeless. Funded by HUD with a locally recruited cash match.

•Medical Funding: Provides financial assistance with prescriptions and clinic visits for eligible clients funded through a special grant from South Baldwin United Way.

•Case management: Provides job opportunities and offers counseling and assistance to promote self-sufficiency.

•Ozanam Pharmacy Program: Provides assistance with prescriptions for low-income families through Ozanam Pharmacy at Catholic Social Services in Mobile.

•Project REACH (Resources for Educational Advancement of Children): Serves low-income school-age children throughout Baldwin County by providing school supplies and financial assistance of fees.

•Therapeutic counseling: Utilizes licenses professional counselors to provide counseling for life issues. Fees are based on sliding scale and in some cases can be covered by insurance.

•Disaster services: Provides food, hygiene items, clothing and household goods following weather-related disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes.

On any given day, Prockup said, the charity utilizes over 100 volunteers.

“We certainly welcome anyone who is willing to come and help out,” she said. “There is always a need for more volunteers.”

For his part, Pulliam said, he welcomes any and all donations that come into the store, with a word of cautionary advice.

“We certainly never turn away any donations that come into the store,” he said. “We work with Catholic Charities and other organizations and try to let as little go to waste as possible. I tell people that I would not put anything out here that I would not have in my own home. I guess my one piece of advice is for people to keep that in mind when they are donating items to our store.”