Sharon Jones, George Jones, Barry Winfield, Barb Fritz, Bruce Maynard, Sue Beamish, Kevin Latimer, Anna Paterson, Jeannette Harper , Bruce Wallace
By Suesan Saville
Jeannette Harper, a volunteer with the Westport Lions and co-manager of the Reuse and Recycle (R&R) Centre, leads me upstairs away from the hubbub so we can talk. We park ourselves among an array of dining room tables and chairs, lamps and light fixtures. One lamp with a crystal base looks amazingly like one I inherited from my mother.
We are not alone for long. “I just have to tell you,” says Julia Mendes, who has mounted the stairs, “You know that carpet you sold me a couple of weeks ago? I washed it and it’s absolutely gorgeous. One of the best buys I’ve ever made.”
“Oh awesome,” says Jeanette. She is not short on happy or repeat customers. She tells me about a man who was in earlier. The drawers on the dresser he bought for $10 didn’t work but he was undeterred. He was going to take it home, clean it up, fix the drawers, paint it. “No problem, I’m going to put my tools in it. It’s great,” he told her.
It’s not hard to see why Jeannette says co-managing the Centre, now in its fourth year, is something she really enjoys doing. She worked at the Village Green for 28 years. She knows her way around retail. Her co-manager is Lion Bruce Maynard. He ran his own grocery store.
The place is hopping on the last Friday of the season, so much so that Jeannette has trouble rounding up everyone for a photo.
A volunteer intercepts someone dropping off a large but soiled upholstered chair as the group starts to gather. The Centre relies on donations but their space, donated by the Tackaberry family, is limited. If they don’t think something will sell, they won’t take it. That philosophy has served them well. A lot of times an item comes in and moves out the same day.
What moves the most? “Well, chairs, tables, sofas, love seats, if the price is right it’s gonna move.” They redirect people who want to donate clothing, kitchenware, everyday dishes, books, CDs, DVDs and the like, to local second hand shops.
They also carry electrical appliances, tools, building supplies, and sports equipment. In general, items have to be in good condition, but some Lions, like Smokey Sherwood or Bruce Wallace, will take on repairs. “Right now Bruce is working on a wheelbarrow that someone bought in, trying to fix the wheels.”
If he is not successful there is always the metal recycle bin. The centre amassed enough recycled metal from drop-offs this season that they filled four 20 foot bins. They also recycle aluminum and dispose of batteries and old electronics.
One service they’d like to publicize more is their medical assistive devices loan program overseen by Jim McGlade and Kevin Latimer. They have two rooms stocked with everything from canes, crutches, and walkers to bed rails, toilet seat boosters and wheel chairs. Loans are free and the program operates throughout the winter by appointment.
The R&R centre operates from April to October, Friday and Saturday mornings. It is staffed by Lions and volunteers who help customers find what they are looking for, load larger items, dismantle items for the metal recycle bin, and assemble furniture, among other tasks. Barb Fritz, Sharon Jones and Anna Patterson handle the cash. Jeanette says she relies on some 33 people over the season to make it work. She likes to have nine people there the days they are open.
Jeannette also manages their Facebook page where she posts photos of items for sale. People can indicate they’d like to purchase something but they go to the shop to do the actual transaction.
The R&R Centre is hugely successful. The operation is one of the main sources of funding for the Westport Lions Club. Monies raised are reinvested in the community through disbursements to a long list of organizations like PAWs, the food bank, Rideau Vista and St. Edward’s schools, Westport Senior Lunches, EcoFest, Quilts of Valour and others. It is a model of the circular economy: everyone wins.
Westport Lions Club 