I know the adage poetry is that which does nothing, but please, let us not confine ourselves to such lazy cynicism. Poetry doesn’t have to ignite passion and action, nor refuse to.
Poetry can be whatever nudges meaning or lack of meaning as language touches a human tangent. Poetry can be in a breeze, or a glance, or a graceful action. My segue falters, but my pitch is this:
I know there’s a lot of places for discretionary spending, personal rewards, daycations, books of course, and throwing help at sites of hurricanes, floods, forest fires, wars, dangerous human rights abuses, and famines.
Between Maniwaki and Wakefield Quebec, there’s a charity shop that aims to make things accessible for all. Rupert Treasures. It’s where I’ve volunteered for several years.
There’s none of this $15-$20 for a used vintage shirt business there.
Prices start at a dime for ornaments, $1 for socks, might get up to $10 for a winter coat. It’s like shopping used in the 1980s.
It’s priced at 10% of retail price as a general principle so everyone can have nice things, whether tools or toys, art, dishes or shoes, books, linens or DVDs. There’s a little free library outside, and a little free art library, and a community fridge run by the centre.
And when there’s been another house fire, the people can arrange an after hours shop for free to get their household set up again. When someone’s in dire straights for whatever reason they can call and ask for a free shop. It happens.
Sales go to the hospital, pet charities and people who discretely can’t pay for their meds, or groceries. They/we provide a load of local stop-gaps.
Over 60 people volunteer over 1200 hours per month just on the sorting of donations from trash, recycling and rags. Then there’s pricing, hanging, bagging up sales. (A few people are paid there as well.)
Their description:
The Rupert Community Centre and Rupert Treasures need your help to fund the mandatory fire-code renovations required to keep our hall open and flourishing as a gathering space and community hub.
The Rupert Community Centre is a welcoming hub for residents of all ages that is run by a volunteer association founded in 1962. The hall provides an affordable space for a wide range of programs and activities such as baby play groups, ballet, yoga, fitness classes, seniors ’programming, weddings, funerals and community meetings. The association also hosts large seasonal events and operates the community skating rink and canteen, helping to create a safe and inclusive environment for residents to gather and connect.
Rupert Treasures Second Hand Shop, which operates from the basement of the hall,supports and empowers the local community by selling donated goods at accessible prices and reinvesting proceeds into community initiatives. This includes local employment, subsidies for non-profit health organizations, support for environmental and animal welfare organizations, as well as programming for families, children and seniors. From the beginning Rupert Treasures’ mandate has also been to provide assistance to families in distress and this remains a priority.
Their Facebook page has some event listings.
Being non-profit has a bit of problem when you’ve dispersed for the year and the fire department comes and says you’ll need x & y for a $100,000 to be up to code. Replace the ceiling, wall in the furnace, etc, etc.
It’s wonderful to see people stepping up, donating proceeds of their kitchen parties, yard sales, bake sales, theatre piece, but the gap between coffers and incoming bill is pretty big.
The Low Down did a piece lately on the fundraiser. Under a percent has been raised of the goal so far.
If you can, give a donation to Rupert Treasures.
And thanks for getting involved where you are, giving what you can in the ways you can. No one has to be responsible for everything, one moment at a time.