HANDCRAFTS AND SEWING

CONVENOR - URSULA

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We meet every Thursday in the cafeteria at the hospital from 10 am to 2 pm.

We quilt, sow, knit, embroider and crochet. Every thing we do is for the big bazaar in October.

There are about 11 of us and we all get along famously.

A lot of the items are also made at home, since time and space are limited.

We certainly need new members for new ideas and help on the quilting frame. The only requirements are a sense of humor and a willingness to learn. The rest we teach you.

On May 4th we will have a spring sale in the hospital foyer from 11 am to 1 pm. Everyone is welcome.

ECONOMY SHOP

Every week, from 100 to 125 volunteers are at work to keep the Powell River Health Care Auxiliary Economy Shop's doors open.

On a typical day, 20 to 25 volunteers are in the store.

"I work two days a week, and then I'm on call for any other day," says head convener Trudy McCracken. She describes her job as making sure things run smoothly, and that there are enough people.

Eight conveners handle different aspects of shop operation which include toys, housewares, linens, the sales floor, pricing, sorting, cashiers, "and I'm the eighth," says McCracken. "We meet once a week to discuss things at the shop."

Most volunteers work one day per week. "There's a lot that volunteer two days," says McCracken. "A lot of them are in their 80s. There are very few under 65."

McCracken says the auxiliary is always looking for new people. "The majority are retired," she says. A few men come in to help out, including three retired teachers.

When bags of items come in, donated by the people of Powell River, they are put into an area called the pit before they are sorted. The shop keeps what is valuable. What is not valuable has to be hauled away.

The Economy Shop does not accept electrical appliances such as stoves, washers and driers. Ripped, stained or torn chesterfields or mattresses are also not welcome, or clothes that are torn or very dirty. "We do have to pay to have them taken to the dump," says McCracken. Auxilian and recording secretary Joan Gemmell says it costs the group in excess of $800 a month to take non-valuable items to the garbage. She acknowledges that the shop could not operate without the contributions, so donations are always welcome.

 
The preferred time for dropoffs is Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, when the shop is open. There are people inside on Mondays, even though the shop is closed. "There's no day you can say items are not going out," says McCracken.

Depending on the time of year, there can be items in the back room of the store that are not yet processed. "On a Saturday, after a garage sale, it stacks up in the back," says McCracken. "By Monday or Tuesday, it's out on the floor."

People stand and wait for the shop to open on a Tuesday morning. "I've seen 30 to 40 outside," says McCracken. "We have some that come in every day, twice a day. You get to know them on a first-name basis."

The shop has a washing machine, dryer and steam cleaning equipment. "Not everything is washed. It's all steamed," says McCracken. Socks and undergarments are always washed.

Floor volunteers take away empty hangers, clean dressing rooms and put clothes onto the rack.

Colour-coded tags let pricing volunteers know when to reduce the prices. "We remove the price every week," says McCracken. "In the last week, the price goes down quite a bit."

Every week, the group removes items they cannot sell from store shelves. Clothes that the group cannot sell they donate to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, or the are sent to Vancouver to be distributed to people in need by Powell River United Church.
Some donated items, such as jewelry, are appraised to ensure they are properly priced. "We're so appreciative when someone brings us something of value," says McCracken.

The shop does mount sales, and silent auctions with secret bids.

McCracken says customers have noticed that volunteers enjoy what they do. Some have told her, "It sounds like you're having so much fun back there."

McCracken says sometimes it is fun. "Mainly, our fun is behind the scenes," she says. "There was an old corselet come in. One of our workers came in and was prancing around in it. It made us laugh."

McCracken says this sort of thing happens quite often. "It's not making fun, just having fun.

RED CROSS LOAN CUPBOARD
Sheila Convenor

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RED CROSS GROUP

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RED CROSS GROUP

John, our faithful repairman keeps all our equipment in running condition ready for loan.