Have you ever wondered?

Just how much of your monetary donation is ending up where it's intended?  
It is an interesting read when you sit down and go through the Annual Report of some of the big Charities.

For example, from the 2009-2010 financial report of one big charity, it shows that through their domestic appeals, donations and sponsorships, they raised  $35,299.  Great effort !! But....

Out of that, almost half  ($17,253) was gobbled up by expenses (presumably things like advertising their appeals etc) leaving only $18,046 of the $35,299 to be distributed to where it was intended....

Interesting stuff....

That's the advantage of donating to a small organisation like us. 
We have very few overheads (rent, insurance, power, phone and internet) so what you donate can help us HELP PEOPLE who need it. 

Did you realise that many of the items that are donated to the shop are actually given away free of charge to people in need? 

Food for thought....

Quality of Donated Items

We are blessed to have a wonderful relationship with Givit - Quality Giving Network- an amazing website which was created by Juliette Wright, a mum and strong believer of helping those who need it.

Recently she blogged at Giving, naturally about some of the problems charities face in receiving donated goods.

This blog entry rings so true to us!

We like to think that we can find a home for just about everything.
But there are so many times when we donations, and we literally stand there and look at it wondering "what the?".

With the recent flood, people have been giving us things in droves.  Many wonderful things.

But there's also been more than a fair share of things that absolutely, unequivocally would not pass on to anyone.

We get one solitary wheelie bin for use at the shop as part of our rental agreement.  In the last few weeks this bin has been full to overflowing by Monday afternoon!

There are certain networks that we try to utilise to enable recycling as much as possible. But, there's only so much we can do.

We don't sell rags, so any clothes that are stained, mis-shapen or have holes in them we just have to throw away!!  We often get people donating "things" with bits broken or completely missing - a coffee maker, a juicer, a blender, a vacuum cleaner!! (?) and these things are of no use to us, or any of our customers. 

Last week in particular, we received a donation which was left on our footpath - and left me totally astonished. 

It included (amongst other things)

• a childs' stroller covered in mould
• a childs' beanbag chair - also covered in mould and filthy dirty
• a kettle, which was literally black on the outside from grime
• a mattress for a cot, which had been stripped back to the foam and innersprings (there was no fabric on it and therefore it was a safety risk as a baby could easily get stuck in the springs!)
• a single mattress which was wet and smelt of mould.
• used pillows, that were yellow and smelly

What did this mean for us?  My brother had to take time out of his day to come and load it all into his car, drive it to my house and dump it here - where my husband then spent part of his weekend off work taking loads to the tip!! So not only did it cost us money (to take it to the tip), it also meant that 3 people had to take time out of their day/s to help us get rid of it !!

That said, we are often completely overwhelmed by peoples' generosity and kind giving spirit!

We love nothing more, than opening up donations of lovely clean, freshly laundered items, nic-nacs etc and we love the satisfaction that comes from matching those items up with people who want or need them.

Please, don't stop donating to shops like ours.  Your donations help us to help people who need it.
But please consider what you are donating. 

A friend of mine recently had a fantastic status update on Facebook which I put on our page - but I'm going to share it here too as they are great parting words.

"Please remember, if you are going to donate items, ask yourself "Would I wear this? Would I dress my child in this? Would I use this?". If the answer is no, then it belongs in the bin. People have lost enough, don't try and take their dignity as well."

Many THANK YOU's to some generous businesses!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all who have donated items for people in the community who have been affected by the recent floods.


We have several amazingly generous donations, both from individuals and from businesses wanting to help!

We would like to thank the following companies for their recent donations :

Jacqueline Davis and Paragold for the donation of new womens nightwear

John & Ruth Lui of Winalite Australia P/L for the donation of womens sanitary products

Hailey Douglas and Aqueo Import and Distribution Pty Ltd for the donation of new Havaianas

 

NEW VINTAGE CLOTHING THIS WEEK

This week we have several new vintage/retro clothing items which have come in. 

We're currently in the process of laundering and marking - some is already out on the racks, but there is more to come!  If you are a vintage clothing lover, call in and take a look!

What's in the window this week?

1940's VINTAGE FUR CAPE 

This is the most gorgeous fur cape with pockets. 

It is fully lined in satin, and the fur and satin lining is in gorgeous condition.

  

What's in this week's window ??

Thanks to our customers who regularly comment on how inviting and interesting our shop window display looks.

I try my best {even though I'm not a window dresser} to display a range of interesting items from within the shop in our front window.   I thought I might try and regularly blog what's in the window, in order particularly to give some of our interstate lookers a chance to see some of the wonderful items we get.

Above : Vintage ceramic Bookends,   Vintage Cake Plate now SOLD

Above : Vintage Teapot

Above : Painted Timber Sewing Box {school project circa 1946}, Vintage Candleholders & Dish, Vintage Oil & Vinegar jars, Vintage Cut Glass Sherry Decanter, Vintage Small Round Frame with roses {circa 1950's} 

We've also got a collection of gorgeous Olga Berg Vintage inspired handbags.  Most of them will convert to a clutch look simply by putting the strap inside.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Olga Berg, they make lovely bags - mostly evening bags.  Sitting behind them in this photo are some whimsical little wooden birdhouses.  Too cute!!

Amazing Limited Edition Prints & Artists Proofs !!

We have been donated a stack of Limited Edition Prints and Artists Proofs from a Deceased Estate.

Artists include Darcy Doyle, Rachel Lewis, Gordon Hanley and Brian Wood.

I have just spent (literally) all day photographing them and over the coming weeks we will be listing them on eBay.

If you don't already check our auctions - our eBay ID is sandlewoodopshopmoorooka

I'll update shortly with some pictures of what we will be listing soon!

The Op Shoppers Guide to Brisbane and Surrounding Areas

Sandlewood Op Shop is proud to have been included in the latest 'The Op Shoppers Guide to Brisbane and Surrounding Areas' published by Suellen Retschlag.

Click HERE to see the website and details on how to purchase the book.


The Book Launch for the publication will be held on Saturday 19th June 2010. 

Hopefully Suellen has visited our shop and knows that even though we are small in size, we are a bit like the tardis - full of treasures and great quality items inside !!

** WELCOME **

Sandlewood Op Shop opened it's doors in August 2009.

There was a lengthy process involved in opening up the shop. It took over four months for Sandlewood to receive the Sanction from the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General (under the Collections Act 1966) before we could open and trade as an Op Shop.

During these four months we viewed several premises, and finally, once the Sanction was obtained, we began fitting out the shop.

While we were setting up the shop, we would frequently get knocks on the door by locals welcoming us to the community and wishing us well. The Newsagents, Gerda, Trevor and Steve, were constantly being bombarded by their regulars, asking when we were going to open!

Initially, the shop was stocked solely by donations from friends and family. We raided our wardrobes, linen cupboards, bookshelves and kitchens in search of anything that we didn't need.

The shop looked complete, but a little sparse by comparison to how the shop looks today, when we first opened.

My how things have changed in such a short time !!

Our loyal customers and the greater community are constantly donating goods to us. {Keep 'em coming!}

Since the photo was taken above (in our first week) we now have 3 extra freestanding clothing racks in the centre of the store!

Sadly, we are running out of room, and fast !! We are lucky to have a vacant shop beside us, and we are currently looking at the possibility of leasing it for expanding the shop, and housing the parent company's CEO's office. {keep your fingers crossed for us!}