Community Corner
Weekend Spotlight: 'Yard Sale Extraordinaire' Scramble Benefits Food Pantries
Yard sale pickers will line up well in advance of the start on Sunday.
Articles from A to Z will be for sale this Sunday on the grounds of
“The community has come to depend on us for this once a year effort,” Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman said. “It is not to raise money for us, but for the needy, and this has become one of our major outreach efforts for social justice.”
Andrea Ackerman brought the idea to the Jewish Center several years ago, and her friend, the author Steven Gaines dubbed it “Yard Sale Extraordinaire.”
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Margaret deRouleaux, a board member, championed the cause for the last five years, working to organize workers, sort donations -- from linens to kids stuff -- and run the sale for the day.
“The food pantries look to us, because they run out of food donations halfway through winter,” she said. “We give them the cash so they can buy food.”
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Some of the many items that will be available this year include designer clothes, all sorted and labeled this year by board member Bobbie Braun, a painted armoir, china, dishes, flatware, costume jewelry, and rugs.
Charlotte Sasso, an owner of who is also a board member, is donating water for sale, and is donating bagels.
“It’s hard to raise money in a recession,” deRouleaux said. “There’s a great deal of generosity, so many high quality donations, including hats, bags, and accessories -- we insist on nearly new -- and hard work by volunteers such as Sima Freierman and Barbara Ackerman.”
Asked about her personal motivations, deRouleaux said, “I fulfill my belief, the tenet of my religion. It’s not optional; it’s part of the deal.”
The seed money to produce the yard sale comes from the Jewish Center's Social Action Committee, including the money needed for movers and some workers, although most who work the event, including youth group members, are volunteers.
“Bring your own sunscreen,” she said. She jokingly warned that when those who line up well before the start time are let in the gate “it’s like the running of the bulls.”
The sale begins at 10 a.m.
