BETHEL — The West Parish Congregational Church will hold its 10th annual Smile Fund Yard Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11, resident Jane Chandler said Tuesday.

The Smile Fund was established 10 years ago by the church to help people without health insurance or dental coverage receive restorative dental work.

“Insurances don’t cover dentures,” Chandler said. “The Smile Fund program seeks out adults who meet financial guidelines, are employed or seeking employment and need dentures.”

The Smile Fund serves residents in Bethel, Andover, Gilead, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock, Chandler said. It has helped 64 people since it began 10 years ago, she said.

The annual yard sale is held at the West Parish Congregational Church. Organizers are looking for toys, tools, books, knickknacks, flowers, vegetables and gardening materials.

“We have been lucky enough to receive excellent community support over the last 10 years,” Chandler said. “The whole town pitches in, whether it’s through monetary donations, people dropping off items for our yard sale, or people coming into the church to buy stuff. I’ve found that a lot of people who come in to buy items end up also donating money.”

People can leave sale items at the church basement from April 6 to April 10, Chandler said.

The church works with Smile Again Dentures in Lewiston, Chandler said. “Since we raise the money solely through donations, we get a 10 percent discount on the dentures,” she said.

“There’s a tremendous feeling of satisfaction to see people who had work done because of the Smile Fund,” Chandler said. “It feels amazing to see them smile, because they couldn’t smile before. A lot of people don’t understand the importance of smiling until they can’t anymore.”

For more information, call Chandler at 357-3524.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net

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