Rise Thrift Store - Jersey Cares
As we
gradually move forward towards a more sustainable future, we must acquire a
greater sense of responsibility for our affect on the environment. To alleviate
the damage we are causing, community service is one of the many ways to create
a more sustainable environment/community. Participating in community service is
not exclusively about the good you are doing for the community it also gives
people like myself feeling of accomplishment and a greater outlook on the life
ahead.
Due to restrictions set in place due
to Covid-19, the amount of community service opportunities within certain
vicinities of New Jersey were limited. However, Rise- a Community Service
Partnership through Jersey Cares, in Hightstown New Jersey, was one of the very
few who were accepting volunteers. Jersey Cares, is a nonprofit organization,
founded in 1993 that welcomes volunteers to lend their time in rewarding
efficient projects that directly addresses community needs.
Jersey Cares provide not only
volunteers but also families, corporate employees, and clubs within a community
with a multitude of opportunities ranging from, tutoring children, painting
school murals, food banks, virtual leadership and most importantly mask making
in this desperate time of need. One quality that I appreciate about Jersey
Cares is that it grants opportunities for low- and moderate-income young adults
to participate in a variety of purposeful projects.
For this year’s community service, I
chose, a Caring Closet in Hightstown New Jersey sponsored by Rise- a Community
Service Partnership. Here at this location, I spent several hours working
inside Greater Goods Thrift Store. During the time I spent here, employees
assigned me and other volunteers an assortment of task that included,
collecting hangers, cleaning up the store inside and out and organizing
inventory in its appropriate locations either inside or outside the store.
Historically, I have always
participated in food banks, recreational acts of community service but I’ve
never taken the time to volunteer in a community caring closet. One of the
greatest benefits of thrifting is that its one of the easiest ways to go green.
There is no question that manufacturing, producing, packaging and distribution
consumes a lot of natural resources. By thrifting, it reduces waste considering
that the clothing and other products found in a thrift store gets recycled by
someone else buying it. Statistically, it is estimated that the average
American disposes of nearly eighty-one pounds of clothing annually, the
equivalent of twenty-six billion pounds of clothing/goods that ends up in
landfills.
Upon my arrival around noon, I was welcomed by two members of Greater Goods Thrift Store that gave me a tour of their facility and assigned me to a variety of task that included, collecting hangers throughout the store, organizing their bookshelves and sorting collecting clothes in various parts of the store, that either needed to be hung up or left in their staff only room. During the time that I volunteered, I was surprised to see that there were quite a lot of younger volunteers accompanied with their friends or family. In addition to this there were a lot of young adults that I seen shopping. What surprised me even more is that typically amongst the younger generation, they are often found shopping at malls, online stores or even from close family or friends. I was very surprised to see the number of young adults that were humbled by shopping in a thrift store.
