As a new volunteer at the Knick Knack Nook, I am keenly aware of the need for the community to shift their thinking of the role of this wonderful community asset.
It is simple – to raise funds for a wide range of organizations and initiatives on the island, and to recycle goods that can be re-sold rather than sending them to the landfill.
We seem to have come to use the Knick Knack Nook as a way to “get rid of stuff” resulting in an increasing volume of clothing and household items dropped off that are in fact, not able to be re-sold: Clothing that is soiled and torn, buttons missing; broken and dirty household items; items with missing pieces, etc. relegating the role of the Nook to being distributor of a large volume of items that can’t be sold.
This puts an onerous burden on the Nook both with the volunteer effort required to sort and transport these items to Vancouver, either to other organizations or to the transfer station as garbage and in hard costs required to do so.
This has been a particular problem with folks dropping items off in front of the building after hours, which the Nook is unable to handle. For instance, it costs $20 per mattress for the KKN to dispose of just those alone
So we all need to be more judicious in our sorting when we’re culling unused items from our homes and no longer think of the Knick Knack Nook as a place to dump everything, but the place to take the items that you feel are able to be resold in order to support your community.
If you’re not sure, ask a volunteer to assess it before you drop it off.
Note that Salvation Army bales unsellable used clothing for shipment to developing countries. Items in poor condition are shredded for packing material.
So please do collect those items to drop at your favourite Sally Ann on your next trip to town.
And thanks to this wonderful community for all your contributions to our beloved Knick Knack Nook!
The next live auction at the Knick Knack Nook is slated for Nov. 12.
