Thrifted finds and World Relief

Yesterday, Timothy had a dermatology appointment and afterwards he wanted to hit some thrift stores. He has found some really great things for very little money and now he’s caught the bug. He likes to hit them occasionally to see what he great deal he can find! This is not a new thing. When he was little he liked to look for things. When he was really little he collected bottle caps. He would look for them on the ground when we’d walk the dog. Then when he was a little older, he liked to drive around on trash night and bring home electronics and take them apart. I would dream of the day when he would figure out how to put them back together, fixed. Nope. That didn’t happen.

So back to my story…We went to a small Goodwill on Belfort Road. He didn’t score anything but I did: two lamps for $1.99 each. I knew just where they would go.

On the console table. They are not very tall which is good. That way they will not block the gallery wall. They are simple and simple is good. They are glass which is hard to see in this picture.

There. That’s better. Now you can see their shape.

The lampshade is perfect. Not dirty at all. I don’t think these were ever used. They are a perfect addition to this table. And you can’t beat the $4-for-both price tag.

Do you like to find things at thrift stores? I’m a bit of a tree hugger when it comes to throwing things away. I have a hard time using paper plates and plasticware. I like to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. I compost. So when Carrie posted this post about fast fashion, it really spoke to me.

Today I dropped off a van full of clothes, shoes and household items to World Relief. They have a refugee resettlement program, helping refugees get set up in their new home. They accept donations of anything needed for setting up a household. Think pots and pans, sheets and towels, furniture. They don’t have a thrift store. They GIVE this stuff away! So I was happy to donate my castoffs to them to help a new family set up home. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Just because I’m finished with it doesn’t mean it needs to go in the landfill. It can be used by a family in need. Just another way of reusing. Interested? Find out if there’s a program near you! They are currently in 14 states. I counted.

I found out about World Relief through our church. The weekend we went camping, our church hosted a Harvest Festival. World Relief brought four busloads of refugees to our church, many of whom are Muslim or another religion other than Christian. It was an all-hands-on-deck kind of event. We cooked chicken and rice for over 400 people. We had a “store” of donated items where customers could “shop.” I had some leftover Sonlight bags from two years ago. I had gotten approved to donate them to Goodwill but ended up using them for this event. It was so great to see the bags used in this way! They were allowed one bag per person and they filled them to overflowing! We had our praise team singing songs, and games for the kids as well as adults. We had jumpy houses and a cake walk. It was great! Below are some shots from the event.