Little Shops With Big Hearts

Op Shops Reduce Waste & Increase Care

Volunteer Donna Furlong

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Hands up who loves a bargain! I do and one way I get one is
buying at opportunity shops.

There used to be some shame attached to wearing secondhand clothes. Years ago, my mother was given some good but used clothes for her three small children. When she put one of the dresses on me, she said, “Don’t tell anyone your clothes are second-hand!” But times have changed. There are now many good reasons to buy from op shops.

To name a few, you can benefit the charity the op shop supports, get items cheaper than brand new, and you can also help our environment. In Australia, 6,000 kilograms of clothes are discarded to landfill every ten minutes. Charity shops reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. So, it
helps our environment when we buy pre-loved clothes.

There are good op shops in our local area, and one of my favourites is JC Family Op Shop. It’s a little shop with a big heart. Much of the furniture and household goods they receive get passed on to a DV organisation in Ipswich. Even toiletries, and personal care items are packaged up for domestic violence survivors. This is an op shop that loves to bless.

The shop sells kid’s clothes for fifty cents, and a bag of women’s clothes for $5. The volunteer staff, like Donna Furlong, are always up for a chat. Donna says some customers come to buy but others come just for company. They can sit, sort a bag of clothing, or just talk.

The shop is open each Thursday and Friday morning in the grounds of JC Family Church, corner of Tamborine & Merton Streets, Jimboomba. More volunteers would allow the shop to open for longer hours. Phone 07 5546 9873 for more information.

By Susan Alexander (Inspirational Writer & Team Reporter)