By KATH GANNAWAY
SCHOOL children in Upper Yarra will have greater opportunities for a healthy lifestyle, thanks to the dedicated team of volunteers at the Adcare Opportunity Shop and their supporters.
The shop is really punching above its weight when it comes to supporting the Upper Yarra community.
Shop manager Kathy Kearns said they were delighted when they wrote to five local primary schools offering a grant of $1000 each from the proceeds of the shop.
“We wanted them to direct the benefits to the students to promote a healthy lifestyle and asked them to give a brief outline of how they would like to spend the money,” Kathy said.
“We were really thrilled at what we got back.”
Each school had different projects and ways of addressing the brief.
Wesburn will spend the money on a fitness incursion, Millwarra at East Warburton and Millgrove will spend the money on a bike program, Yarra Junction will add a ‘fruity Friday’ to their three-day-a-week breakfast club, and Warburton on opening up their Stephanie Alexander kitchen to the community.
The shop also supports the Linc community welfare group, the Redwood Centre’s Second Bite food bank, a project in Cambodia, and has recently sent money to two areas in Vanuatu.
Importantly, their policy is to keep their prices low as a direct way of helping people to buy good clothing and household goods at an affordable price.
Val Darke is one of several long-serving volunteers of the 14-member team.
She has been on the job for nearly 30 years.
“Originally, it wasn’t this type of op shop, we supplied food parcels and clothing where it was needed in the community,” she said.
“We had a sale every two or three months with everything just set up in the hall.
“Now we have four rooms.”
Beryl Holton and Daphne Barber are also well over due for their ‘long service’ and remember when they used to clean houses for the local real estate agents as a side line to raise money to fund their welfare services.
“Food parcels were the main thing years ago, and we would do 10 to 12 a day,” Beryl said.
“They were especially in demand around Christmas time.”
The infrequent sales morphed into the op shop which is open on Tuesdays and every third Sunday of the month.
Kathy said it was doubly blessed with people very generous with donations, and a wonderful and growing customer base.
“We have one lady who moved away but still brings donations up here and we have people who come up from down the line and actually plan their visit to Warburton around the third Sunday,” she said.
The shop is very proudly displaying a sign showing the schools and other organisations that have received grants recently.
“The community really appreciates our little shop and we wanted to let them know how their donations benefit so many people, and for our customers, what we do with their money.”
