Making the Money

    

Saturday I logged in 8 volunteer hours at the TLC Community Center's annual fundraiser. It was a yard sale shoppers dream come true. A multitude of local churches donated a huge quantity of items for the sale. The items were marked at yard sale prices so that everyone could participate. Of course, the larger items like a nice lazy boy chair and a barely used dining table and chairs flew out the door first. Despite the cold turn in the weather, there was a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day. For my part, I did what I do best.....TALK!! I got to flex my customer service skills to entice shoppers to dig deep and give for a worthwhile cause. All the money made over the 3 day sale will be used to buy much needed food items for the community soup kitchen meals being served at the center every Tuesday at lunch time. The program has become an instant success in a very short time, feeding an average of 200+ adults and children each week. Since the center is strictly donation funded, these fundraisers are a crucial part of helping so many in our community.   
     Besides yacking, which is my specialty, I also helped customers with loading items,

 cleaning, organizing items, and also transporting donated children's items including: coats, clothes, shoes, and toys to a church in Bristol for their children's van outreach ministry. These items were given to the center from area schools who built-up a substantial amount of items throughout the year in their LOST and FOUND. Since, these items were sized too big to be included in the center's MOMMY MART, the director wanted to share them with another helpful program. 
     Any items  not sold in the sale will be made available to the mothers in the TLC parenting program. These moms attend class and volunteer at the center in order to earn "MOMMY MONEY" which they can use to purchase baby items like clothes, diapers,  wipes, bottles, toys, and even big items such as highchairs, swings, and playpens in the Mommy Mart. The center is a blessing to our community and I hope to help there as much as I can.