Christmas comes twice a year at St Andrews Op Shop

ST ANDREWS Anglican Church in Tea Gardens once again held its famous Christmas in July sale, offering everything from toys to tableware.

The event was held last Friday and Saturday, 10-11 July, and featured a massive display that was sorted and presented by a team of dedicated volunteers led by Sue Nicholls.

The op shop dug into its overstocked stores to help those around town celebrating ‘Christmas in July’ to do it with as much glitz as possible.

“Sales have more than doubled in the last four years and donations of goods have increased even more,” said the new op shop manager Gary King.

“Storage is becoming more of a pressing issue, as we receive up to 1000 donated items per week which need to be sorted, and we are hoping to purchase an extra storage shed in the near future to ease this situation.

“We also rehome excess clothing and other goods, keeping them out of landfill, and currently have around 35 amazing volunteers, many who have been serving the op shop for many years.

“The number of volunteers has not increased, despite the increase in donations, meaning the Op Shop is facing a very real shortage of workers.

“We would welcome volunteers from the community to assist with sorting and receiving of stock.”

Mr King said new volunteers would need to complete the essential Newcastle Diocese Ministry course, but did not necessarily need to be churchgoers in order to help out.

The St Andrews Op Shop turnover makes a major contribution to the operations of the church as well as supporting many charities both in Australia and overseas.

The proceeds from the two annual Christmas sales – in July and December – historically go to local charities and groups as chosen each year by the management and members.

“In the last five years, these sales have supported Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Destiny Haven refuge for women, TGHN SLSC, the local Free Clinic Bus, and Tea Gardens Public School, and we are also currently supplying warm clothes and blankets to the Red Cross Winter Appeal,” Mr King said.

Members of the Tea Gardens Red Cross conferred with the op shop this year when the Winter Appeal started.

This resulted in three bags of warm clothing and blankets being delivered to the local drop-off point. These will make their way to Newcastle to assist those sleeping rough in the region this winter.

“The Op Shop provides a safe and friendly environment allowing the community to purchase a huge range of clothes and other goods at extremely low prices,” Mr King said.

“Clothes range from $2.50 to $5, and our volunteers are also always willing to have a friendly chat with anyone who drops by. We are open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30-12:30.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE