Kitty Murray — president of the Ashcroft and District Health Care Auxiliary, which operates the thrift store at 601 Bancroft Street in Ashcroft — remembers the days when the store would run out of donations.
That has not been an issue recently. When the store reopened in June 2020, after being closed for three months in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volunteers obtained permission to put a storage container (seacan) behind the store in order to put the anticipated rush of donations into quarantine, and have a place to store them until they could be sorted and put on display.
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“If we didn’t have that seacan, I don’t know where we’d put donations,” says Murray, who notes that far from falling off again after that initial rush, donations to the store have continued to increase.
“We thought it would slow down, but it just keeps going, and we don’t know when it will end.”
The store is so full, and the donations so steady, that volunteers have added an extra work bee on some Thursdays to sort through all the incoming items. They also recently held one of their semi-regular bag sales, as a way to try to clear some space: shoppers fill bags with clothing and pay just $5 for each bag.
“We get so many clothes that we look at what we’ve got and say ‘Time to have a sale.’ They’re very popular. We couldn’t believe the amount of clothes that went out of here.”
It’s not just clothing that the store gets a lot of. They are seeing more and more crystal and fine china, as seniors pass away and younger family members don’t want these sorts of items. Antiques and collectables go into a special cabinet, which is very popular with customers.
“We just had a large donation from someone who was going through his late wife’s items, and there are some beautiful items; lots of crystal and crafts,” says Murray.
“One of our regulars asked if we could accept some of her late husband’s clothes. I asked if she would be upset if she came in and saw his clothing, and she said no. They both enjoyed thrift shopping, and they had talked about it, and it was what they both wanted.”
The sheer volume of donations means that sometimes the volunteers have to get brutal.
“If it’s on the shelf for more than six weeks, it’s time for it to go. We don’t throw things out, though. We wash towels and give them to the Cache Creek Veterinary Hospital or the SPCA, and send things to places in Kamloops like Value Village.”
However, the volunteers still get items that they cannot take or use, such as furniture, toys, and electronics.
“We keep getting TVs and printers, and have to take them to the transfer station,” says Murray. “Maybe people don’t know where to take them, or maybe it’s easier to dump them with us. The TNRD gives us a credit at the transfer station, which is very helpful
“And we’re so lucky to have the men who work for us, who take stuff to the landfill, put out the signs every week, do all the heavy stuff.”
The TNRD credit at least means that tipping fees no longer eat into the money the thrift store raises.
“Last year we disbursed $60,000,” says Murray. Since people like to know where the funds go, a new sign sits in the window near the door of the store, detailing which organizations benefited.
The largest beneficiary last year was the Ashcroft Hospital and Health Centre, which received $18,500. Next was the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, which received $8,000, followed by the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society ($4,000).
The Auxiliary gave out student bursaries totalling $3,000, and Thompson View Lodge also received $3,000. Other local organizations that benefited included Soup’s On, the Clinton and District Assisted Living Society, Better at Home, and The Equality Project, while funds also went to organizations such as the Terry Fox Foundation, the Alzheimer Society of BC, the Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the Ponderosa Rehab Program.
“People ask why we give to something like Children’s Hospital,” says Murray. “These are all our hospitals. Sometimes we get requests, like if RIH is doing a fundraiser, or we’ll get a wish list from Jackson House.”
Every year there is a budget meeting, where all the volunteers get a say as to where the funds go.
“We’re always looking for new suggestions. Last year we gave Soup’s On $2,000 because they needed two new barbecues, which they got locally from Home Hardware.”
The thrift store is also there for people in need.
“We don’t turn anyone away if someone really needs something, and we open the doors for people who lose things. We helped out after the Lytton fire last year, and we work really well with the E. Fry Society. If people with needs come down it’s just that person and Trish [E. Fry executive director Trish Schachtel] and I, and get what they need.”
Murray says they would love to do a “Christmas in July” sale, but doesn’t think they have enough people. “We’re hoping to do a sale in the seniors’ centre on two weekends before Christmas. They’ve been very accommodating.”
More volunteers are always welcome: “We just had one member return, and a new one joined. We leave it open for people to do what they can. We like to see them work one whole day, but we’re pretty accommodating.”
The store is open on Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., and there is a work bee every Monday from 9 a.m. to noon, with occasional work bees also taking place on Thursdays. Anyone interested in volunteering, or learning more, can call membership chair Shirley Holowchuk at (250) 453-2432.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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