Oak Bay Volunteer Services is nearly $1,000 richer thanks to the upbeat salesmanship of Jenni Hopkyns and her husband, Mike Platts.
The Oak Bay pair, along with a couple of friends, donned fun hats and signage to indicate they were the four cashiers during Garagellenium.
“That’s of course a great day to do it and we live on Windsor Road so lots of traffic,” said Hopkyns, among those who held a garage sale for a charity.
She spread the word ahead of time that this year her sale would fund OBVS and those who opted out of community-wide sale, brought over boxes of items for the cause.
“My husband and I have done one before and we put all the proceeds to hospice, and another time we did Lifetime Network,” Hopkyns said. “Garagellenium is very busy. It’s a good way to highlight what the organization does.”
They hung a pair of banners and laid out some brochures explaining Oak Bay Volunteer Services as an organization and the work they do.
The foursome raised $944 for the Oak Bay organization that provides direct volunteer services to Oak Bay residents of all ages on a one-to-one basis.
“It is (a lot) when you’re only selling things for $2 or whatever,” Hopkyns said. “Sometimes people bargain ridiculously low. … We just all said ‘this is for charity’ and everybody said ‘OK no problem.’ People are quite happy to give when they know I’m not doing it for my benefit.”
Leftover boxes of books will head for the Churchmouse Bookshop at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church while other items will head over to Oak Bay United Church for its Friday thrift shop.
“I’m always surprised at the things that sell and what’s left over,” Hopkyns said.
At the end of the day the neighbours all gathered, pleased in a hard day’s work and what they’ll give back.
“We all put our feet up and said ‘well done,’” Hopkyns said.
Learn more about the volunteer program at oakbayvolunteers.bc.ca.