A Volunteer Opportunity

Twice a year, our company offers the opportunity to volunteer at a local charity. The charities of choice for this year are Bridging and Feed My Starving Children. I chose the Bridging and our day to help out was yesterday. This is the organization to which I donated my sofa bed earlier this fall.

Here's the deal: people donate all manner of items to this fine agency, but not all things are needed to help someone just being released from prison, or living in a house with no furniture, or just plain poor. They need the basics: couch, kitchen table, dishes, beds and bedding, and towels. They don't need a grandfather clock, a china cabinet, lead crystal vases, CDs, and you get the idea. It makes more sense for these "bigger ticket" items to be sold and the money spent for towels, bedding, pillows, mattresses, and so on. Our volunteer task was to unpack such "unnecessary" items and get them ready to be sold over next three weekends in a big sale. Bridging rented two vacant spaces next door to each other in a little mall near my home – one shop will feature the smaller items; the other with furniture and accessories.

LaVonne is sorting linens.

Chris is unpacking silver items.

Jennifer sorting jewelry

Dave L and Dave H moving furniture

Taking a little break 

Sharon and yours truly polishing antique chairs

I managed to get some Old English Scratch Cover on my cheek. Thankfully it washed off.

Raela and Amanda completely assembled two of these curio cabinets.

When I first arrived, I spotted some dishes I thought I would really like to have, but after working on this stuff most of the afternoon, I decided I don't need them.