RUMFORD — The What Not Shop is looking for volunteers at its store to assist with everything from sorting and washing clothes to organizing donations.

Human Resources Manager Angela Rich said that the What Not Shop gets a lot of donations on a daily basis, and as a result, the store is left with a lot of items to sift through.

“Some of the stuff we receive isn’t resalable,” Rich said. “Our volunteers help sort through the donations, a lot of which is clothing and furniture. All the clothing needs to be run through industrial dryers, so we have volunteers to help us with that as well.”

In addition to sorting through donations, Rich said that stocking the shelves and rearranging items are some of the other tasks volunteers would do.

“We have a couple of volunteers right now who help arrange our jewelry case, and they do a beautiful job,” Rich said. “We always find something for people to do here.”

Rich said that the What Not Shop is always looking for community members who have a specific talent to offer to the store.

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“Sometimes, we get artists or photographers that want to submit their work,” Rich said. “Recently, we had a lady who wanted to make baked goods to serve at a craft fair event we were throwing.”

The proceeds of the What Not Shop go toward helping the Hope Association, a nonprofit organization that, according to its website, “provides leadership, residential, vocational and community support services to individuals with intellectual and related disabilities and their families.”

“The community is always interested in helping us out,” Rich said. “Even people who can’t give their time give something. We just had an anonymous donor drop off a tripod for a camera. Earlier that day, we had purchased a camera for a photography and video program we’re trying to get started. We saw the tripod and thought, ‘Wow, this is perfect timing.’  The community has a feel for what’s going on at the store and what we need.”

Rich said that the What Not Shop has been around since 1973, where it “began as a rummage sale and a fundraiser and went crazy from there.”

For further details on volunteering for the What Not Shop, contact Catherine Johnson, executive director of the Hope Association, at 364-4561.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com


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