Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/284382
C M Y K WINNIPEGFREEPRESS,SATURDAY,MARCH22,2014 5 MORDEN By David Square For the Free Press T HE MORDEN COMMUNITY THRIFT SHOP DOESN'T JUST PROVIDE RETAIL THERAPY FOR BARGAIN- HUNTERS. The volunteer-run organization works for the good of the community and the environment. "Part of the shop's mandate is to prevent reusable materials from ending up in landfills," says Dorothy Wiebe, president of the volunteer organization. When it opened in 1968, the shop was operated out of Morden resident Ruth Winkler's home. Winkler was a visionary who realized the importance of recycling before it became fashionable to do so, and the store remained in her home until 1986, when it moved to a commercial building on Stephen Street. Increased donations and sales necessitated a second move to a 7,000-square-foot location in 2001, and on Oct. 29, 2013, the shop celebrated its latest expansion at its new 10,000-square-foot building on North Railway Street. "A group of wonderful men from the Morden Fire and Rescue service helped us move our large inventory into the new building," Wiebe says. The exponential growth of the store has been due to generous community support and a dedicated group of 100-plus volunteers ranging from teens to octogenarians. "Though the majority of the volunteers are female, in recent years we've had several men donate time to the cause," Wiebe says, adding that the store's coffee room is like an international club where people gather to socialize and catch up on the latest news. Young Russian and German women who have relocated to Morden with their families often volunteer to work in the store to improve their English and meet new people. Some volunteers work as salespeople and cashiers at the front of the store; others work in a large room in the back, sorting donations and, in the case of clothing or linens, washing items if necessary. Wiebe says no donation is thrown out, even if it cannot be sold in the store. "TVs are shipped to Pembina Valley Containers, where their components are recycled; hardcover books go to a Plum Coulee paper shredder and unusable clothing is sent to an organization that distributes it to indigent people overseas." Some volunteers specialize in refurbishing dolls. Working on a four-week rotation, they restore donated dolls by combing out hair, washing clothes and making sewing repairs. "The number of donations is astonishing," says one volunteer, who restores between to 50 to 80 dolls each rotation. "I estimate the shop sells about 3,000 dolls per year." Dolls and toys in general are lucrative items for the store, but they represent a fraction of the merchandise for sale, Wiebe says. Goods include clothing, shoes and boots, sporting goods, purses and accessories, kitchen appliances, electronics, paintings and photos, books and magazines, gardening supplies, small pieces of furniture, bird houses and much more. Many refurbished items sell for a third or less of their value in retail outlets, and the store holds half-price sales to clear out old inventory and make room for new donations. "The majority of our donations come from the Morden area as our profits are returned to the community in the form of high school scholarships, Youth for Christ grants, Bible camp funding, Breakfast in the Schools monies and financial support for Safe Grad," Wiebe says. "We also helped the Morden Police Service purchase a dog for its K-9 unit, as well as contributed funds toward the acquisition of an automated external defibrillator." Morden Fire Chief Andy Thiessen noted in a recent letter to the Prime Minister Volunteer Award Committee that the Thrift Shop has donated about $200,000 to the department over the last 20 years to help purchase Jaws of Life and other much-needed equipment at a huge savings to residents of Morden and area. Though it did not win the 2013 award, the fact that it was nominated for such a prestigious honour speaks well of the organization's many contributions to the community, Wiebe says. The thrift store has provided funds for Tabor Homes Inc. for many years and its contributions will help support construction of a new extended-care facility that will begin this spring. Other health-care related facilities that have benefitted include the Boundary Trails Hospital and the Morden Medical Centre. Wiebe says the shop is governed by a board of directors that meets once a month. Funding applications for community projects are considered at general meetings attended by all volunteers twice a year.❚ THE MIDAS TOUCH THRIFTSHOPTURNSLANDFILLLITTERINTOGOLD Winkler was a visionary who realized the importance of recycling before it became fashionable to do so, and the store remained in her home until 1986, when it moved to a commercial building on Stephen Street. Photo by Cheryl Digby. Always innovative, Convey-All continues to offer custom-made products that do double duty — they're a unique draw for customers and they maintain work for employees. "The company has been built on a lot of custom design and building for custom- ers. If a customer needs something special, there's no hesitation. The company just re- acts and figures out how to get it built as quickly as possible," Froese says. "Sometimes there are challenges with that because it can affect the flow of your regular production, which can create ineffi- ciencies. But having said that, it also caters to a customer base that many other sup- pliers won't cater to. Convey-All realized no one else really builds custom sizes and custom products to fit certain markets and applications. Since they decided to do that, they have done a lot." Thanks to this special treatment, Convey- All gets a lot of repeat business. "When you go out on a limb and you build this custom piece for them, they come back and they'll buy the standard pieces from you as well," Froese says. "That lends itself to future business. That's what we're all about." ❚ ON THE RIGHT TRACK STORY CONT. FROM PG. 2 ph.204.325.9400 Breakaway Family Breakaway Family Restaurant & Lounge Restaurant & Lounge CornerHwys.#3 inCARMAN, Manitoba 745-6785 • All Day Breakfast Specials • Lunch & Dinner Specials • VLT Lounge Open to 2 a.m. Hours: Mon-Wed 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thurs-Fri-Sat 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Theconstructionindustriesfirstchoice for top quality trailers Clam Cross-Dump Wagon End Dump Side Dump Pony Pup Sold by: Fort Garry Industries 204-632-8261 www.midland-trailers.com MainPlazaMall 100-561MainStreet Winkler,Manitoba,Canada R6W1E8 Phone: (204)-325-9672 Fax: (204)-325-4947 www.rrc.ca winkler@rrc.ca WINKLER CAMPUS EngineMachineShop&Parts (204)325-9853 www.millarengines.com Goingaway? Go with CAA. CAATravelisafull-servicetravelagencyandpartof NorthAmerica'slargestleisuretravelorganization. CONTACTCAATRAVELTODAY! 204 262.6000 1 800 992.8143 2211McPhillipsSt.>501St.Anne'sRd.>870EmpressSt. Brandon204571.4100>Altona204324.8474 caamanitoba.com/travel GREATFRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIESIN development@obsidiangroupinc.com Manitoba Call Now: 1-877-272-2952 TC_xx_Mar-22-14_CO_01.indd 5 TC_xx_Mar-22-14_CO_01.indd 5 3/18/14 2:31:52 PM 3/18/14 2:31:52 PM