"Free Sale" Serves Our Community

On a gray day with light rain falling, the school's parking lot filled up and a crowd of people came through the doors for our second "Free Sale" of the school year. Our super-organizer of the event, Yancey, and several students had arranged items on tables and stacked clothes for people to take away for free.

The sale provides people in our community with household items, clothing, toys, and other goods that they would not otherwise be able to afford for their family members. For our students, it is one of many community service projects they participate in during the school year at Wellsprings Friends School.

Thank you to the many friends who contributed items, to the students who helped with the "Free Sale," and to everyone who showed up on a rainy Saturday morning in Oregon.

And once again, dear Yancey, we deeply appreciate the many hours of work you do to make this community service project possible and for all you do for our students and for Wellsprings!

Here are more photos from the event (click on a photo to enlarge).

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Community Service: Another Successful Wellsprings Friends "Free Sale"

Last Saturday, we had our second "Free Sale" of the year -- offering hundreds (maybe even thousands) of household goods, clothes, toys, and other items for free to anyone who showed up.

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Oregon unlike the snowy day we had for our December sale. Once again, Yancey pulled it all together and the school was ready for people who began arriving before 9 a.m. Here are a few photos of what the school looked like a half hour before the sale started (click to enlarge photos):



Just for fun, after people began arriving, we did a video of the event which includes an interview with Yancey:




Yancey reports that the sale ended up being "the best ever" of the six we've done over the years. Lots of people came, leaving less to store for our next event. And several helpers came to help put things away and restore the school for Monday classes.

Thanks to students and friends who helped with the "Free Sale" and to everyone who showed up on Saturday morning. We hope you enjoy everything you received for your family.

And, dear Yancey, we deeply appreciate the many hours of work you do to make this community service project possible and for all you do for our students and for Wellsprings!

Special Free Sale For Holiday Sharing

For the past four years, our school has had an annual Free "Sale" in the Spring. This year, with the economic downturn and increase in job layoffs, Yancey, our organizer extraordinaire, suggested that we add a second free "sale" to give away items at no charge to everyone who shows up at the school on a December Saturday morning (9 am - 12 pm).

Many people have donated hundreds of usable second hand items for us to give away at the event. At past sales, many satisfied "customers" who came to the school expressed shock that everything is free. As a child said one day with a toy in hand, "You mean, I can take this for free?"

The Free "Sale" was originally inspired by stories of the Free Store in Buffalo NY in the 1960's. It has become a special event for the Wellsprings Friends community every year.

Asked why she enjoys continuing to work on the project, Yancey says, "There is no greater feeling than to give things away. People are always shocked and surprised when I encourage them to take what they need. The satisfaction of making someone smile is priceless -- or in this case, free."




Slide show of photos (click to enlarge) taken during set up for the Free Sale for Holiday Sharing. A special "thank you" to the four students who arrived very early on Saturday morning to help Yancey with set-up!

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